India, leaders of the "cockroaches" party released: calls for new protests

An Indian court today ordered the release of the leaders of the "cockroaches" party, arrested yesterday during a severely repressed protest against the revision of the electoral lists launched last year in India and for which the opposition accuses the government of irregularities to seek an electoral advantage. However, the organizers called for new street protests.

"The court has ordered the release of Abhijeet Dipke, the founder of the satirical-political movement born five months ago, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka", their lawyer, Ratna Singh, announced on social media, "on the condition that they do not disturb public order for a year".

The three men, arrested upon arrival at New Delhi airport from Mumbai, left the capital's police station in a car without making any statement. Then one of them, Abhijeet Dipke, made it known in a post on social media that Narendra Modi is a "disgrace" for the country. "Never has this country seen a greater coward and bully," added the founder of the 'Cockroach Janta Party'.

According to local media, Indian police made thousands of arrests yesterday to prevent the unauthorized demonstration called by the movement and the opposition to demand the resignation of the head of the electoral commission, Gyanesh Kumar.