Delhi Court Releases Three CJP Leaders Amid Voter Roll Protests

Three senior leaders of India's Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), including founder Abhijeet Dipke, were released by a Delhi court on Sunday, October 11, 2026, following preventive detention linked to protests against electoral roll revisions. The demonstrations target Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process.

According to NDTV, Dipke, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka appeared before an executive magistrate in Delhi Cantonment. The court released them on the condition that they avoid conduct considered a "breach of peace" for one year.

The arrests followed Saturday's detention of the three leaders aboard an aircraft after it landed in Delhi, according to NDTV. Reuters, in a report published by U.S. News, also confirmed Dipke's release, citing a statement from his lawyer on X.

More than 3,000 protesters, including politicians, were detained on Saturday and released later that night, NDTV reported. Deutsche Welle reported that authorities deployed 43,000 police and security personnel across the capital, established road barricades and suspended internet services in central Delhi amid the planned demonstrations.

The CJP organized the protests to challenge the voter list revision and demand Gyanesh Kumar's resignation. Critics of the exercise fear that the changes could deprive millions of eligible citizens of voting rights and benefit the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The Election Commission of India has rejected allegations of wrongdoing, saying the SIR process is intended to remove duplicate and ineligible voters. The dispute has intensified tensions between opposition parties and the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

According to NDTV, CJP organizers alleged that approximately 13 crore votes had been deleted or manipulated and described the restrictions in Delhi as an "undeclared emergency." They said demonstrations would continue until accountability was established over the alleged electoral irregularities.

Security restrictions also disrupted public transportation on Saturday. The Supreme Court had directed authorities on Friday not to impose a complete shutdown of Delhi Metro services ahead of the planned protest, according to NDTV.

A special Supreme Court hearing was expected on Sunday concerning a contempt petition over the blanket closure of metro stations and train services. Metro operations had resumed by Sunday morning, although security personnel remained stationed at entrances and exits, with buses positioned nearby to transport detained demonstrators, NDTV reported.

The crackdown also affected prominent opposition figures. Deutsche Welle reported that Arvind Kejriwal, Mamata Banerjee and Pinarayi Vijayan were among those detained on Saturday. Rahul Gandhi criticized the police action, while Priyanka Gandhi Vadra challenged the state of democracy in India.

In a statement reported by Deutsche Welle, Kejriwal wrote, "It's official... we are living under an absolute dictatorship," while Gandhi described the crackdown as an act of "cowardice." Gandhi also referred to several senior government and political figures as "the villains of this story" and said they were "slowly finding the space closing around them. We are closing that space."

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra wrote in a social media post, "India is not a democracy anymore. It is a dictatorship being run by Mr. Narendra Modi and Mr.

Amit Shah." These statements reflected opposition criticism of the restrictions imposed around the demonstrations.

The BJP, meanwhile, characterized the CJP as an extension of opposition forces seeking to destabilize the country. BJP chief Nitin Nabin alleged that opposition groups were acting in ways directed by "foreign forces," according to NDTV.

Defense Minister Rajnath Singh acknowledged the right to peaceful political disagreement while warning against disorder.

"Every individual has the right to express dissent in a democracy," Singh said, according to NDTV.

He added that people must not "forget that spreading anarchy is not anyone's right." Singh also said young people might be "momentarily misled" but would not abandon the goal of nation-building.

Deutsche Welle reported that protesters continued trying to gather in different parts of central Delhi after police blocked access to Jantar Mantar, the designated protest site. One demonstrator described the confrontations as "a game of perception," saying that police numbers substantially exceeded those of protesters and journalists.

Another protester told Deutsche Welle, "We've been playing a game of cat and mouse with police," describing efforts to evade detention as officers moved through the city.

The protester explained, "We were running back and forth. When the police are moving forward, we go back. When they are withdrawing, we are moving forward," illustrating how demonstrators attempted to remain assembled despite restrictions.

Another demonstrator, identified as Jasmine, said, "We have been playing a game of cat and mouse with the police, trying to stop them from picking us up." She questioned the requirement to obtain official permission to protest against the government.

After the detention of the group's main leaders, Ajinkya Shinde took responsibility for directing the CJP demonstration, according to Deutsche Welle. In a video statement, he urged supporters to continue toward the designated protest area.

"We appeal to everyone to march towards Jantar Mantar! If Delhi Police tries to stop you, wherever they stop you will become your Jantar Mantar," Shinde said in the video posted by the CJP on X.

Deutsche Welle also reported that journalists from Indian media outlets, including Scroll and Newslaundry, were briefly detained while covering the demonstrations and later released.