Leaders of India's Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) were detained early on Tuesday after entering a heavily-guarded protest site in Delhi. The leaders chanted slogans demanding the resignation of the country's election chief over a controversial revision of electoral rolls.
Party founder Abhijeet Dipke shared a video showing Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das being taken away by police from Jantar Mantar, a historic observatory known for protests. Footage showed Ranka and Das, along with others, climbing over police barricades before chanting slogans while holding the Indian flag.
The detentions occurred a day after the federal home ministry announced that Jantar Mantar would no longer be a designated protest venue. Authorities have instead identified three alternative locations for demonstrations, requiring permission. The CJP had previously sought permission for a peaceful protest at Jantar Mantar and had warned of further demonstrations if no response was received.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's opponents claim the voter list revision benefits his party, a charge both his party and the Election Commission deny. There have been days of protests demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Separately, India's main opposition party, Congress, petitioned the Supreme Court on Monday, challenging the Election Commission's voter revision exercise.