India: Police apparently arrest leaders of the “cockroach” movement

Protests in New Delhi Police in India apparently arrest leaders of the “cockroach movement”.

India's "Cockroach Movement" has called for mass protests in New Delhi. The authorities are already showing toughness in the run-up to the protests. 200 people are said to have been arrested.

In India, the police apparently arrested prominent government critics of the "cockroach movement" before an announced large demonstration. The founder of the satirical protest movement, Abhijeet Dipke, and two other leaders were taken into custody after they landed in the capital New Delhi, the group said. According to television reports, the police had previously asked Dipke at the airport to cancel the planned demonstration because the authorities had banned it.

The protest is directed against the electoral commission. The “cockroach movement” accuses it of having manipulated voter lists on a massive scale in favor of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling party, the BJP. The trigger is a report in the newspaper “Indian Express”. Accordingly, the deputy head of the electoral commission expressed concerns about the deletion of around 130 million voters. The Election Commission and the BJP have rejected the allegations.

Around 200 demonstrators were arrested in the city center itself, reports the Reuters news agency, citing police sources. In order to prevent gatherings, subway stations were closed, important roads were blocked and mobile internet was cut off.

The “cockroach movement” initially emerged in May as a satirical reaction to statements by Supreme Court Justice Surya Kant. He reportedly compared young government critics to "cockroaches" and "parasites" during a hearing.

In July, the movement protested against abuses in the education system and urged India's Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to resign.

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