Thousands of security personnel deployed as Delhi braces for ‘cockroach’ protest — SkimNews
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- Delhi Police deployed more than 30,000 police and paramilitary personnel across central Delhi ahead of Saturday's planned protest by the Gen Z-led Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) at Jantar Mantar, barricading all roads to the venue and flying drones overhead.
- The CJP is demanding electoral reforms and the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, alleging that the voter-list revision known as the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) — which has struck off 130 million names — is being manipulated to favor PM Modi's BJP; the Election Commission denies the allegations.
- Police officially denied permission for the protest, citing less than the required 10-day notice and the CJP's past non-compliance with legal directions, but founder Dipke vowed the march would proceed "come what may," telling PM Modi: "if you want to jail us or even shoot us we are prepared."
- Security measures extended well beyond barricades: trains to Delhi were cancelled, dozens of metro stations were ordered shut, at least five people were detained near the site, and journalists were corralled into a designated press area.
- The CJP previously forced the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in July after weeks of education-reform protests, and returned to the streets last week with rallies in Mumbai and Bengaluru before Saturday's Delhi escalation.
- The Saturday protest comes after police dismantled three consecutive days of demonstrations by opposition leader Rahul Gandhi and other MPs earlier this week, with viral video showing officers forcing Gandhi onto a bus.
Why it matters: With 130 million names already purged from India's voter rolls and the Election Commission accused of favoring PM Modi's BJP, the CJP's demand for CEC Kumar's resignation has become a direct challenge to electoral governance. The state's fortress-level response — 30,000 personnel, metro shutdowns, press corralling — signals authorities view this youth movement as a genuine political threat after it forced Education Minister Pradhan's resignation in July.
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