The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has vowed to intensify its protests across the country following a major police crackdown in Delhi on demonstrations demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. CJP leader Ajinkya Shinde said the movement would continue its agitation despite the detention of thousands of protesters and restrictions imposed across the national capital. The protests, organised over alleged irregularities in the revision of electoral rolls, have triggered a wider political confrontation over election transparency, the right to peaceful assembly and the handling of dissent by authorities.

Addressing a press conference after Saturday’s developments, Shinde declared that the movement would not retreat and called on supporters to participate in further demonstrations. The CJP had planned a gathering at Jantar Mantar, but Delhi Police denied permission for the protest and deployed security personnel across several parts of the city. The organisation accused authorities of attempting to prevent its members from raising concerns about the electoral process and said it would continue its campaign until Kumar resigned.

The police action on October 10 resulted in the detention of thousands of people, including CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, senior party members and several opposition leaders. Former chief ministers Arvind Kejriwal, Mamata Banerjee, Pinarayi Vijayan and Manik Sarkar were among those detained during the wider demonstrations. CJP leaders Dipke, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were subsequently released following court proceedings, according to reports. The detentions prompted criticism from opposition parties and civil society groups, who questioned the restrictions placed on demonstrators.

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The CJP's campaign centres on allegations of irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Critics have questioned the removal of large numbers of voter entries and alleged that the exercise could disproportionately affect groups opposed to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. The Election Commission has maintained that the revision process is intended to update electoral rolls by identifying duplicate, deceased, relocated or otherwise ineligible entries. The BJP has rejected allegations of wrongdoing, while Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar has not publicly responded to the specific accusations surrounding the current protests.

The crackdown also disrupted normal activity in parts of Delhi, with security deployments, traffic restrictions and the temporary closure of entry and exit gates at several metro stations. Authorities said the measures were necessary to maintain public order after permission for the planned gathering was denied. The United Nations human rights office expressed concern over the mass detentions and urged Indian authorities to respect the right to peaceful assembly. India’s mission in Geneva rejected the criticism, stating that peaceful assembly in the country remains subject to reasonable restrictions in the interest of public order.

Despite the restrictions, the CJP announced another demonstration at Jantar Mantar on Sunday, October 11, and reiterated that its campaign would continue until its demands were addressed. The Supreme Court also issued notice to the Centre on a petition seeking contempt proceedings over alleged violations of its directions in connection with the detentions. The continuing protests have intensified scrutiny of the Election Commission’s voter-list revision process and the authorities’ response to public demonstrations. The situation remains politically sensitive as the CJP and opposition groups press for accountability while the government and election authorities defend the procedures governing electoral administration.

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