NEW DELHI: Two leaders of the youth-led Cockroach Janta Party have been detained for five days after entering Delhi’s Jantar Mantar protest site and demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das were detained after allegedly violating earlier legal undertakings, according to police and the party. The action comes amid continuing protests over the Election Commission’s revision of electoral rolls.
The protesters allege that the exercise has resulted in the deletion of more than 130 million names and could disenfranchise vulnerable sections. The Election Commission has rejected allegations of political bias, maintaining that the exercise targets deceased, duplicate and otherwise ineligible voters.
The CJP has vowed to continue its agitation despite the arrests. The movement has increasingly drawn support from opposition groups, turning the voter-roll dispute into a major political confrontation.