Indian Police Detain 'Cockroach' Protesters in Delhi — SkimNews
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- Indian police forcibly detained several demonstrators in New Delhi on Saturday, the second day of protests organized by the Gen Z-led Cockroach Janta Party and other opposition groups against changes to voter rolls.
- Protesters, numbering about 100 on Saturday, tore down security barricades and chanted "vote thief, leave the post" and "Gyanesh Kumar, step down," demanding the Election Commission chief resign over revisions they say benefit PM Modi's governing party.
- Saturday's demonstrators included Independent MP Kapil Sibal, All India Students' Association President Neha Bora, and activists Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav; Kumar and the Election Commission have not publicly commented on the resignation calls.
- Friday's protest was similarly broken up, with nearby metro stations shut for security and several of those detained charged with violating Delhi's mass-gathering restrictions, though many were released the same day.
- Critics contend a nationwide voter-verification exercise launched last year has stripped millions of eligible voters from electoral rolls, while the Election Commission says it targets only duplicate, deceased, or ineligible entries.
- On Friday, the Election Commission directed officials to register newly eligible voters and those omitted from electoral rolls — a step the source places the same day police were dispersing demonstrators.
- The source describes the demonstrations as "the latest in a series of youth-led protests" placing pressure on Modi "unprecedented in his 12 years in power."
Why it matters: For Modi, the Gen Z-led 'Cockroach' movement is one of the first youth protest waves putting pressure on him 'unprecedented in his 12 years in power,' and it targets the voter-roll process that critics say has already stripped millions of eligible voters. The Election Commission's Friday directive to register omitted voters — issued the same day police were clearing demonstrators — suggests the body is quietly responding to pressure rather than dismissing the allegations outright.
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