Thousands of supporters of the Cockroach Janta Party are expected to gather at Central Park in Connaught Place on Friday, days after police blocked their previous mass demonstration and two leaders were sent to jail.
The youth-led group, which campaigns for electoral reforms, has called the protest “Lehra Do Tiranga.” Founder Abhijeet Dipke said he is prepared to risk arrest and urged those unable to reach Delhi to raise the national flag and protest wherever they are. Central Park is not an approved protest venue.
The Delhi High Court on Thursday declined to restrain the gathering after a local trader petitioned against it, citing potential disruption to traffic and business.
The call follows the jailing of two CJP organisers for five days after they entered Jantar Mantar, a traditional protest site that police recently removed from the list of approved locations. Dipke and two senior organisers, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, had been detained last Saturday upon landing in Delhi. Police deployed tens of thousands of personnel, sealed roads and metro stations, and intercepted protesters before they could assemble. Dozens, including journalists and students, were detained. There were reports of force being used; police said the measures were needed to maintain public order.
Das and Ranka later returned to Jantar Mantar with a small group of supporters, unfurling the national flag and raising slogans. Police said they entered the restricted site without permission, some by climbing a locked gate, and breached the conditions of their earlier release. They were sent to Tihar Jail for five days. Another organiser was released on a bond to maintain peace.
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The movement began in May after a remark by India’s chief justice comparing some unemployed young people to cockroaches. Dipke embraced the label and turned it into a campaign. It gained momentum over examination paper leaks that led to the resignation of the education minister. The group has since focused on a large-scale revision of electoral rolls known as the Special Intensive Revision. Critics say more than 130 million names have been removed, risking the voting rights of legitimate electors. The CJP has demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, accusing the poll body of bias towards the ruling party. Both the commission and the government have denied the allegations.
Police are preparing security arrangements and possible traffic restrictions around Connaught Place. The CJP has said its protests will continue. Parallel demonstrations by opposition parties over similar voter-roll concerns have also taken place in recent days.