Indian police hold Cockroach Janta Party leaders as protests spread
Police in Mumbai detained a demonstrator during a Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026 protest. Student demonstrations have also pressured Prime Minister Narendra Modi over a revision of electoral rolls.
By Standard Topic. AI-generated from the reporting listed under Coverage. Published . Updated .
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What happened
Police in India have been detaining activists from the Cockroach Janta Party, known as CJP, amid a crackdown on near-daily protests against the government. CJP leaders Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das were arrested for scaling the locked gates of Jantar Mantar, a protest site recently denotified, and have stayed in jail. Their custody was then extended by two days, and their trespassing case was transferred to the crime branch.
Timeline
- Oct 13: Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das are detained after entering Jantar Mantar by scaling its locked gates.
- Oct 14: The two CJP leaders are sent to five days of judicial custody.
- Oct 19: Their custody is extended by two days, and they remain in jail.
- Oct 19, 1:04 PM ET: Delhi Police transfer the trespassing case against the two leaders to the crime branch.
Coverage
- "India Is Not Bangladesh": Shashi Tharoor Agrees To Disagree With Kiren Rijiju Over "Regime Change" Row (NDTV)
- This carnival of protest on the streets of Delhi has shaken Narendra Modi like nothing before (The Guardian)
- India’s latest student protests pin Modi on revision of electoral rolls (The Japan Times)
- Long distance: India’s protest sites drift from power centres (Hindustan Times)
- In India, the 'cockroaches' laugh and the state cuts the internet. It all looks too familiar from across the border (asianews.network)
- India’s crackdown on cockroaches, critics and cameras (Al Jazeera)
- Salman Rushdie hails cockroach protests as India’s ‘most hopeful moment’ in a long time (Yahoo News)
- ‘Jantar Mantar is Everywhere’: Indian diaspora across the world stage anti-CEC protests after massive Delhi demonstrations (Hindustan Times)
- India releases Abhijit Dipke, founder of protest movement (ua.news)
- ‘Cockroach’ party founder released by Indian police (South China Morning Post)
- 'Cockroach' party founder released from Indian police custody (Yahoo News)
- Indian Gen Z Protest Leader Is Released on Bail After Arrest (The New York Times)
- Indian diaspora protests in London, Dublin over voter roll revision
- Youth protests seeking election chief's exit grow as India detains activists
- Lawmakers ask Rubio to raise India's protest detentions
- India dismisses UN expert's youth rights report as unverified
- Indian youth protests against election chief persist after Dipke's release
- Indian police detain 'cockroach' movement founder as Delhi protests grow
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