India's 'cockroach' leaders jailed after holding protest
· India · BBC News, The Independent, Al Jazeera
Two leaders of the Cockroach Janta Party, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, were remanded to five days in judicial custody after being arrested for trespassing at Delhi's Jantar Madar. The activists climbed a locked gate and crossed barricades at the protest venue, which police recently removed from the city's authorized demonstration sites. The GenZ-led movement has been protesting for days to demand electoral reforms and the resignation of India's Chief Election Commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar, over alleged electoral roll irregularities. Police charged Das, Ranka, and fellow activist Ajinkya Shinde with trespassing, breaching a peace bond, violating prohibitory orders, and obstructing public officials. Ratna Singh, the head of the CJP's legal team, alleged that the activists were denied access to lawyers for several hours and transported in a private vehicle.
Why it matters
The arrests highlight growing tensions between youth-led political pressure groups and law enforcement over restricted protest access in the capital.
Read the original report — BBC News
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