Delhi Police have detained Abhijeet Dipke, the founder of the youth-led political outfit 'Cockroach Janata Party', alongside student leader Neha Bora, amid a high-voltage protest demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar. The arrests occurred on Friday (October 16, 2026) as leaders attempted to lead a flag-hoisting rally at Delhi’s Central Park.
Authorities had imposed strict prohibitions around Central Park ahead of Friday's planned demonstration. Police visited Dipke’s residence early in the morning to warn him against defying the assembly ban. Despite the warnings, when Dipke attempted to march towards Central Park with the national flag, police intercepted and detained him. Within an hour, student leader Neha Bora was also taken into police custody while leading a peaceful march carrying flags from the Mandi House circle toward Central Park.
The Root of the Protests
The mounting agitations spearheaded by the Cockroach Janata Party stem from explosive allegations against CEC Gyanesh Kumar, whom the party accuses of manipulating electoral rolls to favor Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration. Protesters claim that millions of voters were deliberately disenfranchised ahead of the West Bengal assembly elections, with roughly 7 million names removed and mysteriously restored only after polls closed.
Friday's mobilization was called to protest the recent arrests and remand of party co-founders Ashutosh Ranka and Saurabh Das, who were detained earlier in the week while attempting a similar flag demonstration at Jantar Mantar. Following previous detentions on October 10 and subsequent arrests on October 13, the latest crackdown on Chief Abhijeet Dipke and Neha Bora highlights escalating tensions between the emergent political faction and state authorities in the capital.
Sylhetview24/RiK/SD
