India’s ‘cockroach’ movement leaders arrested again as voter roll dispute grows

Leaders of India’s “cockroach” protest movement were detained again on Tuesday, their second detention in days, as a stand-off with authorities deepened over a contentious overhaul of voter rolls.

Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das, two prominent faces of the youth-led Cockroach Janta Party, were taken into custody with other members after jumping barricades to enter Jantar Mantar, historically one of New Delhi’s main protest venues.

Delhi police on Monday removed Jantar Mantar’s designation as a protest site and named three alternative venues elsewhere in the city. The move drew criticism from the CJP and other protesters, as they had been trying to demonstrate there since the weekend.

The CJP, a pressure group, and major opposition parties have staged planned and impromptu protests in the capital for days over alleged electoral manipulation. Their main demands include the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and a halt to the voter-roll revisions.