Youth-led Cockroach movement protests across India over voter roll deletions

Thousands of people gathered in Mumbai on Friday for fresh nationwide protests led by the youth-backed Cockroach Janta Party, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over massive voter list deletions.

The Protests And Demands

The protests follow a controversial voter roll purification process known as the Special Intensive Revision, which was overseen by Kumar and resulted in tens of millions of citizens being removed from electoral registers. The CJP, founded by Abhijeet Dipke, has called for Kumar to step down, the freezing of the SIR process, the restoration of the January 2025 voters list, and the repeal of the 2023 law governing election commissioner appointments. In Mumbai, authorities denied permission to hold the rally at Shivaji Park, but demonstrators gathered anyway under heavy police watch.

Crackdowns And Detentions

Simultaneous protests in Delhi on Friday led to heavy police deployment at Jantar Mantar, where authorities closed a dozen metro stations and shut down the internet. Over 500 people, including former Chief Minister Atishi, were detained by Delhi Police. CJP convenor Abhijeet Dipke warned that if Kumar does not resign, members from across the country will march to Jantar Mantar on October 10 to protest further. Meanwhile, the Election Commission has denied wrongdoing in the exercise but directed officials to speed up registrations for newly eligible voters.

Context

The Special Intensive Revision is an administrative exercise carried out to update electoral rolls by removing duplicate or ineligible entries, though opposition groups frequently clash with authorities over how such purges are conducted. Youth-led pressure groups have increasingly used street demonstrations and digital mobilisation in recent months to challenge government policies on democratic institutions. Public protests around electoral integrity often draw heavy police intervention due to security concerns in major urban areas.