Indian police have detained Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the youth-led Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), before a planned protest in New Delhi demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged voter list manipulation.
On Friday, the 31-year-old politician was taken into custody shortly after leaving his home, with police officers surrounding him and forcing him into a vehicle, as per BBC.
Earlier, authorities had issued a warning to him against holding the march without permission, deploying thousands of police and paramilitary personnel across the city.
The protest, which captured tremendous attention across the social media, was intended to show solidarity with two CJP leaders, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, who remained in custody for five days after entering the restricted Jantar Mantar protest site.
Despite the security restrictions, around 200 to 300 people gathered near Central Park in Connaught Place, waving Indian flags and chanting slogans.
Police prevented protesters from entering the park, which authorities had closed for two days for what they described as administrative reasons.
Multiple demonstrators, including student activist Neha Bora, were detained.
It was the second time in less than a week that Dipke had been detained. Police had previously taken him away after boarding his plane upon its arrival in Delhi. He was released the following day.
The CJP, which began an online campaign in May, is accusing the Election Commission of favouring Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The commission and government deny the accusations.
The dispute centres on the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, which critics claim has removed over 130 million names and risks disenfranchising legitimate voters.
The movement received immense prominence following protests over leaked examination papers in July. Authorities have defended restrictions on demonstrations as necessary to maintain public order and prevent traffic disruption.
