This weekend in Delhi with the Cockroach Janta Party, or CJP as everyone’s calling them. What began as an online jab at a remark by the Chief Justice months ago has turned into real protests demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. And right now, on this Sunday, the second day of their big push, the group is saying they’re not going anywhere.
It kicked off properly on Saturday. The CJP had called people to gather at Jantar Mantar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision of voter lists. They’re claiming more than 13 crore names got deleted or messed with across states, and they want Kumar out, an independent probe, and the whole process frozen. The Election Commission has denied any wrongdoing, of course, saying everything was done by the book. But the young crowd isn’t buying it.
Police were ready. Thousands of security personnel, barricades everywhere, roads blocked in central Delhi. Reports say around 6,000 to 7,000 people got detained before they could even reach the site. CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke and two other top leaders, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, were picked up right after their flight from Mumbai landed. They didn’t even get off the plane properly. YouTuber Dhruv Rathee and some opposition figures also got caught up in the net. The group said Delhi felt like a fortress.
Then Sunday morning brought a shift. A magistrate’s court ordered the three leaders released on the condition they maintain peace for one year. Dipke walked out, got into a car, and the others followed. Their lawyer confirmed it. Almost immediately, the CJP announced they would head back to Jantar Mantar at 10 am. Ajinkya Shinde, who stepped up while the top three were in custody, told people the fight isn’t over. “As many people as you detain, we will not go back till Gyanesh Kumar resigns,” he said. Later, after the release, Ashutosh Ranka put it simply: the fight has just begun. They’re talking about peaceful protests and even pushing for nationwide action.
Traffic police put out advisories again for Sunday. Diversions around Connaught Place, Jantar Mantar Road, Mandi House, the usual spots. Metro stations nearby saw closures or heavy checks earlier. Supreme Court heard some pleas related to detentions and restrictions, with one side arguing for the right to peaceful assembly. The court has been clear in past cases that protests can’t choke the city, but the CJP keeps insisting they’re within their rights.
This isn’t the first time the group has made noise. Back in July they forced the education minister’s resignation over exam paper leaks. That gave them confidence. Now, months before state elections, they’re focusing on the voter rolls and calling the CEC the biggest threat to democracy. Critics call them a satirical online outfit that got too big for its boots. Supporters, mostly Gen Z, say they’re the only ones asking hard questions about jobs, exams, and fair elections.
By afternoon Sunday, the leaders were planning a press conference. They’ve told people to keep coming out even if stopped short of Jantar Mantar — “wherever they stop you will become your Jantar Mantar,” one of them put it. Hundreds more detentions were reported during the day. Police released a video showing officers informing Dipke about a personal family matter, which the group saw as unnecessary pressure. Still, Dipke clarified they hadn’t signed any bond promising to stop protesting.
The government side stays quiet on the demands. No word of any resignation or freeze on the revision process. Opposition parties have shown up in bits and pieces, some leaders also detained earlier. For ordinary people trying to move around central Delhi, it’s just another weekend of blocked roads and heavy security.
What’s next? The CJP says the agitation continues until their three main points are met: Kumar’s exit, a probe, and the rolls restored. They’re talking Mumbai protests too, near Shivaji Park. Whether this stays a youth-led street thing or grows into something bigger will depend on how many keep showing up after the weekend crackdown. Right now, the leaders are free, the barricades are still up, and the conversation about those voter lists isn’t dying down.
It’s the kind of story that makes you watch the evening news a bit closer. Young people online one day, filling the streets the next, getting detained, getting released, and saying they’ll do it again tomorrow. Delhi has seen this movie before, but the “cockroach” label they wear with pride has given it a different flavour this time.
Sources:
BBC News reports on the protests and releases, 11 October 2026
Scroll.in live updates on court orders and fresh protest calls
India Today and Indian Express coverage of detentions, traffic advisories and leader statements
Dawn and AFP reporting on the magistrate’s court decision and overall numbers
LiveMint and Business Standard on Supreme Court hearings and CJP’s continued plans
@Rohit Manral
