New Delhi: The leader of India’s Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) has vowed to proceed with a major protest in New Delhi on October 10 despite reported detentions of thousands of supporters, calling for the resignation of the country’s chief election official.
The protest centres on a controversial revision of voter lists that has removed 130 million voter entries nationwide. The exercise has triggered demands from the youth movement, opposition parties and student groups for Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar to step down.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke stated that he would arrive in Delhi and march to Jantar Mantar, a designated protest site, regardless of the circumstances. Addressing Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a post on X, Dipke added that young people in the country were no longer afraid.
🚨 IMPORTANT 🚨
CJP’s National Org Co-Incharge Deepak Baliyan has been placed under house arrest!
40+ police personnel in civil dress are present at his home.
After detaining him from his home at night, the Alwar Police have once again arrived at his residence.
“My family is scared and fears for their safety. @AlwarPolice will be solely responsible if anything happens to any member of my family.” – @deepakbaliyan90
— Cockroach Janta Party – CJP (@Cockroachisback) October 9, 2026
India, the world’s largest democracy, had at least 960 million eligible voters in 2024. The voter verification exercise began last year ahead of elections in Bihar and has since covered most states.
Police Warn of Legal Action
Delhi Police noted that CJP had not received permission to hold October 10 protest and could face legal action if participants violated regulations.
Thousands of police and paramilitary personnel were being deployed in the capital, including forces from sensitive regions such as Indian-administered Kashmir, according to a government document reviewed by the media.
The CJP claimed that police in several states were detaining thousands of its supporters travelling to Delhi for the demonstration, raising concerns over the planned protest at Jantar Mantar.
The opposition Congress party, led by Rahul Gandhi, has called for a meeting of political allies from more than a dozen parties opposed to Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The opposition bloc was scheduled to meet President Droupadi Murmu on October 9 evening.
Train Services and Metro Access Affected
Authorities cancelled some long-distance trains to New Delhi scheduled for October 10. Police also requested reduced metro services and the closure of certain station exits, citing concerns about potentially unruly crowds, according to latest reports.
Opposition parties and critics argue that the latest voter list revision, the first major exercise of its kind in nearly two decades, could disenfranchise large numbers of voters and favour the BJP. They have called for the process to be scrapped and the previous voter lists restored.
The Election Commission maintains that the figures refer to voter entries flagged during a draft revision, with the exercise still incomplete. It has also said that people whose names are wrongly removed can register again.
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