Indian police detained Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leader Abhijeet Dipke on Friday ahead of fresh protests demanding the removal of the country’s election chief, the youth-led movement said in a social media post.
Dipke, 31, was detained shortly before a protest called by the online movement at Central Park in Connaught Place, a busy commercial district in the heart of New Delhi.
“Abhijeet is detained by Delhi Police!!! This government is so scared of the youth waving national flag!!,” the CJP said on social media.
The group as well as opposition parties have been seeking the resignation of India’s chief election commissioner over a large-scale voter roll revision that they say favors Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling party.
The Election Commission of India, which oversees voting in the world’s most populous nation, has denied any wrongdoing.
Dipke had urged supporters to carry national flags and gather at Central Park after two of his colleagues were detained for breaching security barricades at Jantar Mantar, a protest site declared off-limits by police this week.
Thousands of security personnel were deployed in central Delhi on Friday, with police warning protesters to stay away, citing orders restricting public gatherings.
In the past week, the Indian capital has seen several street protests against the electoral roll revision, which was overseen by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
More than 133 million names have been removed from electoral lists under the exercise, according to figures reported by Indian media and cited by opposition parties in court filings.
Critics say the removals have disproportionately affected minorities, particularly Muslims.
Election authorities say the move was intended to eliminate duplicate, deceased and fraudulent entries.
