India court orders release of 'Cockroach' movement leaders

Skip next section What you need to know

What you need to know

Here are the latest developments from India on Sunday, October 11:

• The CJP's Abhijeet Dipke, Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das ordered released after nearly 24 hours of detention
• Indian media reports cite Delhi Police officials as saying thousands of detained protesters were released
• The CJP called for a fresh protest on Sunday

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Skip next section 'Cockroach' leaders ordered released from detention, party says

October 11, 2026

'Cockroach' leaders ordered released from detention, party says

An executive court in Delhi has ordered the release of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder  Abhijeet Dipke and other leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, the youth-led movement said on Sunday.

The three were detained ahead of a large protest in Dehli on Saturday and appeared in court earlier on Sunday after being in detention for nearly 24 hours.

Earlier, the CJP had alleged the leaders were being detained at an undisclosed location and did not have access to their lawyers.

On Saturday evening, the CJP issued a fresh call for a march to New Delhi's Jantar Mantar on Sunday.

"We're not backing down! We will march to Jantar Mantar again tomorrow," Ajinkya Shinde, the CJP's interim protest leader, said at a press conference.

The exact number of demonstrators detained during the protest could not be immediately verified. 

Shinde told reporters that over 15,000 people, including students, had been detained across India. 

The Hindu newspaper, citing Delhi Police sources, reported that 2,500 demonstrators were detained in Delhi on top of 1,000 people picked up in overnight preventive measures ahead of the protest. 

Indian media reports cite Delhi Police as saying that all detainees had been released later on Saturday.

Indian authorities try to shut down a 'Cockroach' protest

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Skip next section Welcome to our coverage

October 11, 2026

Welcome to our coverage

This is Dharvi Vaid Dhulia from DW's Studio in New Delhi, bringing you the Sunday edition of the India news blog.

We are continuing our coverage of the intensifying election protests in India over alleged manipulation of voter lists.

Here's a quick recap of what went down on Saturday:

Dramatic scenes unfolded in the streets of the capital of the world's largest democracy on Saturday as authorities tried to thwart a protest called by the "Cockroach" movement calling for the resignation of India's election chief.

Thousands of youth protesters were detained and hauled away in buses as parts of Delhi were locked down with a mammoth deployment of police and paramilitary personnel, who essentially outnumbered the demonstrators. 

Mobile internet services were suspended in central Delhi in a rare move for the key power district, while dozens of metro stations were closed. 

Police cited violation of a ban on the protest as basis for the mass detentions. The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and student organizations supporting the demonstration maintain that they did not need permission, citing protesting as a fundamental right. 

The three main faces of the CJP — Founder Abhijeet Dipke, Co-conveners Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka — were detained onboard a plane as soon as they landed in New Delhi for the protest.

Meanwhile, four former chief ministers of Indian states were also briefly detained during the protest, amid the opposition parties stepping up their calls for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

Stay tuned as we bring you more.

'Cockroach' movement leaders arrested ahead of protests