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Indian Police Detain 'Cockroach' Movement Founder Ahead of Protest
· Confirmed
In Short: Indian authorities detained the founder of the 'Cockroach' movement, Abhijeet Dipke, ahead of a protest demanding the resignation of the election chief.
Indian authorities detained Abhijeet Dipke, the founder of the youth movement known as the 'Cockroach' movement, ahead of a planned protest in New Delhi, according to reports from Arabnews (Saudi Arabia) and the Toronto Star (Canada).
The protest was set to take place in a central New Delhi park, which authorities had closed citing 'administrative reasons,' and where metal barricades were set up at key intersections, as reported by Al Jazeera (Qatar) and the Toronto Star (Canada).
The 'Cockroach' movement, which began as an online satirical campaign this summer, has gained momentum following an ongoing review of voter lists that has removed more than 130 million names since last year, according to the Toronto Star (Canada) and ABC News (United States).
Dipke, in a statement to ABC News (United States) and the Toronto Star (Canada), said, 'Waving the tricolor (Indian flag) is not a crime.' He also noted that the movement's demonstrations have been met with a tough crackdown, as reported by Al Jazeera (Qatar).
The movement's protests have intensified, with thousands of additional police officers deployed in the Indian capital on Friday, as reported by Al Jazeera (Qatar) and the Toronto Star (Canada).
The rally was called after two of the movement’s leaders were jailed for five days this week for allegedly trespassing at a protest site, according to Al Jazeera (Qatar) and the Toronto Star (Canada).
The BBC (United Kingdom) reported that the CJP issued fresh instructions, asking supporters to arrive in the park at Connaught Place in groups of fewer than five, unfurl the Indian flag, take a photograph, and leave.
The protest is part of ongoing demonstrations demanding the resignation of India's election chief, as noted by the Toronto Star (Canada) and the Ottumwa Courier (United States).
Leaders of the Cockroach Janata Party were released Sunday after being detained ahead of the protests, according to the Bozeman Daily Chronicle (United States) and the Toronto Star (Canada).
The Indian Express quoted Rushdie as saying, 'Young people of India have given us the most hopeful moment for a very long time,' in reference to the protests.
Despite the crackdown, thousands have gathered again in the Indian capital Delhi a day after the police crackdown on supporters of the Cockroach Janta Party, as reported by the BBC (United Kingdom) and the Toronto Star (Canada).
The protests have put Prime Minister Modi’s government under pressure, as noted by the Toronto Star (Canada) and the Ottumwa Courier (United States).
Background
Indian authorities have tightened security in New Delhi after the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) called for a new protest over the jailing of two of its activists.
Polish police arrested a man suspected of plotting an attack against Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz, according to the interior ministry's statement to AFP on Sunday.
What's confirmed
- Indian authorities increased security in the capital and closed a central New Delhi park on Friday ahead of a flag-waving protest called by the youth “Cockroach” movement demanding the resignation of India’s election chief.
- Protests by the youth and opposition parties have intensified over an ongoing review of voter lists that has removed more than 130 million names since last year.
- Some of his party leaders have dismissed the demonstrators as “anarchists” and suggested, without offering evidence, that they are backed by foreign powers.
- “Waving the tricolor (Indian flag) is not a crime,” Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the “Cockroach” movement, said Thursday.
- The “Cockroach” movement began as an online satirical campaign this summer after India’s chief justice compared unemployed young people to parasites.
- Friday's protest is part of a growing campaign that has put Modi’s government under pressure and comes a week after a police crackdown on protesters in New Delhi.
- Get the latest news and updates from Dawn Indian police detained the head of the Cockroach Janta Party, as well as thousands of protesters trying to take part in a major demonstration in New Delhi against the country’s election commissioner, the group said on Saturday.
- Supporters of the Cockroach Janta Party hold placards and the Indian flag during a protest demonstration in New Delhi, India, Saturday, June 6.
What's still developing
- Many young Indians embraced the remark, adopting the cockroach as a symbol of resilience.
- “The very party that is in power today spent decades organising protests, taking to the streets and questioning the governments of the day when it was in opposition,” Dipke said.
- Indian authorities have imposed extraordinary security measures to block protesters from joining a demonstration called by the "Cockroach" movement in New Delhi.
- "Where you have 20 protesters and 10 media persons, there are 100 police personnel standing. It seems like a joke, what they are doing with taxpayers' money," the protester said.
- Indian authorities mounted a sweeping security crackdown across New Delhi on Saturday, detaining thousands of protesters as the country’s youth-led “Cockroach” movement sought to escalate a nationwide campaign against a contentious revision of voter lists.