NEW DELHI: Indian police detained Abhijeet Dipke, head of the satirical Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) online movement, and two other leaders on Saturday ahead of a major protest against the Election Commission of India (ECI), the group said.

The youth-led movement said police detained the three leaders before they could disembark from a flight in New Delhi. The planned demonstration demands the resignation of election chief Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in voter registration.

Authorities deployed thousands of police officers and paramilitary personnel across the capital. They also restricted transport services and erected barricades near Jantar Mantar, a designated protest site.

Police did not authorise rallies at the site for the weekend.

Voter-Roll Dispute Sparks Nationwide Protests

The demonstration follows weeks of opposition mobilisation over allegations of misconduct during a nationwide revision of voter lists.

Protests erupted across India after a newspaper investigation last month raised questions about the Election Commission’s handling of the process.

The ECI has rejected allegations of wrongdoing. It says the “special intensive revision” aims to remove duplicate entries and ineligible voters.

Opposition parties and critics argue that the exercise could exclude eligible voters and benefit Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The protests also revive the CJP’s July mobilisation, which led to the education minister’s resignation over an examination scandal, according to the report.

Delhi Tightens Security and Transport Restrictions

Authorities ordered the closure of dozens of metro stations and cancelled several trains heading to New Delhi ahead of Saturday’s demonstrations.

However, India’s Supreme Court said on Friday that some trains must continue operating. It also opposed a blanket closure of metro stations.

CJP leader Dipke criticised the restrictions in a post on X.

“The dictator would rather shut down the entire national capital and inconvenience millions of citizens than allow a peaceful protest at a designated protest site,” he wrote.

He also questioned the impact of the restrictions on residents and commuters.

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CJP Alleges Mass Detentions

The CJP emerged online in May as a satirical political movement. It has accused authorities of intimidating supporters before the planned demonstration.

The group claimed that at least 10,000 people had been detained across India, including protesters travelling to Delhi by train. Police had not responded to the group’s broader allegations of mass detentions, according to the report.

The Hindu newspaper reported that authorities took some people detained in Madhya Pradesh to hotels.

“You can detain the people — you cannot detain the movement,” said Neha Bora, who has emerged as a leading figure in the protests.

More Than 133 Million Names Excluded From Draft Rolls

The voter-list revision began in 2025 and has resulted in more than 133 million names being excluded from draft electoral rolls, according to the report.

The exclusions include duplicate entries and people identified as deceased. The Election Commission says the process aims to identify fraudulent registrations and prevent undocumented foreign nationals from voting.

Critics argue that the revision has disproportionately affected marginalised and minority communities.

Members of Modi’s Hindu nationalist BJP have long alleged that undocumented Muslim migrants from neighbouring Bangladesh fraudulently entered India’s electoral rolls.

The dispute over voter registration has intensified political tensions as opposition groups demand accountability from the election authorities.