Indian authorities shut down metro stations, cut internet access and deployed armoured vehicles to contain demonstrations over electoral roll revisions that opposition figures say have removed more than 130 million names. Police arrested the founders of the youth-led Cockroach Janta Party after intercepting them on a flight arriving in the capital.
New Delhi woke up under heavy security measures, with hundreds of roadblocks, 45 metro stations closed and internet services suspended as authorities moved to prevent protests against changes to the country’s electoral rolls.
Armoured vehicles and tear gas launchers were deployed along major roads around Jantar Mantar, the historic observatory in the heart of the capital that has become a focal point for demonstrations.
The security operation was directed at young protesters from the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), an online movement that emerged in May and adopted the name “cockroaches” ironically. The group had already put pressure on the government in July, helping trigger the resignation of the education minister following a scandal involving alleged exam irregularities.
This time, the protesters are challenging an electoral roll revision overseen by the Election Commission under Gyanesh Kumar. The process has reportedly removed more than 130 million names from voter lists, with opposition figures alleging that minorities and potential supporters of Prime Minister Narendra Modi have been disproportionately affected.
CJP leaders arrested on arrival in Delhi
Authorities launched a pre-emptive crackdown, arresting hundreds of demonstrators and detaining three prominent figures in the movement: founder Abhijeet Dipke, co-chair Saurav Das and activist Ashutosh Ranka.
The three were taken into police custody aboard a plane arriving in New Delhi from Mumbai, according to reports by Indian news agency ANI.
“Modi is afraid of the country’s young people. That is why he has shut down Delhi’s metro, its roads, everything,” Dipke told reporters before being taken away. He also questioned why the government was deploying security forces against its own citizens, asking whether the authorities were effectively declaring war on the population.
During his remand, police reportedly informed Dipke that his grandmother had died suddenly, presenting him with a difficult choice: return to Mumbai for the funeral rites or remain in custody and continue supporting the protest movement. The incident added to concerns about the pressure being placed on the group’s leadership.
Opposition condemns the crackdown
Despite the restrictions, small groups of students managed to breach police cordons around Jantar Mantar, where loudspeakers repeatedly warned that gatherings of more than five people were prohibited.
“We are a democracy, yet peaceful protests are being suppressed by force. Why is Modi afraid of India’s young people?” Tanya Negi, a university student who had travelled from Mumbai, asked.
The arrests also drew criticism from opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, who had himself been detained in recent days.
Parliamentarian Shashi Tharoor condemned the authorities’ response in a post on X, questioning whether the government would shut down the entire capital again if demonstrators returned on Monday. He described the restrictions as an undeclared emergency targeting Generation Z.
Tharoor argued that a government confident in the integrity of its elections should welcome questions about the process rather than respond with sweeping security measures. Authorities, he said, should provide answers instead of resorting to batons and allow freedom of expression rather than impose repression.
New Delhi remains under tight security, but the CJP’s online network and its supporters show little sign of abandoning their campaign.
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