India police crack down on peaceful protests in New Delhi, detain demonstrators and journalists

Indian authorities launch a heavy crackdown on youth-led Cockroach Janta Party protests in New Delhi, deploying over 50,000 security personnel and detaining at least 10,000 people nationwide. Demonstrators demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the purging of 130 million voter names. Security forces target journalists and block internet services, drawing sharp condemnation from the UN and rights groups, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi faces escalating political pressure.

Delhi Cockroach protests crackdown

• ▪Delhi Police de-notified the Jantar Mantar area in central Delhi as a protest site on October 13, 2026, leading to five-day judicial custody sentences for Cockroach Janta Party leaders Sourav Das and Ashutosh Ranka.
• ▪Indian police and security forces deployed over 50,000 personnel to suppress youth-led Cockroach Janta Party protests in New Delhi calling for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on October 10, 2026.
• ▪Indian authorities imposed Section 163 BNSS prohibitory orders, cancelled trains and buses to New Delhi, closed metro stations, and ordered a 24-hour mobile internet shutdown in central Delhi around October 10, 2026.

Voter roll purge allegations

• ▪The youth-led Cockroach Janta Party called for protests demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar following reports that the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls removed approximately 130 million names from voter lists.
• ▪An Indian Express report stated that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar ignored objections raised by his two fellow election commissioners regarding the nationwide electoral roll revision process.

Mass detentions of protesters

• ▪Indian police and security forces detained at least 10,000 people across India ahead of and during the October 10, 2026 protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
• ▪Police detained prominent figures including Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke, student leader Neha Bora, activist Yogendra Yadav, senior advocate Prashant Bhushan, YouTuber Dhruv Rathee, and economist Jean Drèze in New Delhi.
• ▪Women protesters and journalists in New Delhi accused Indian security personnel of physical attacks and sexual harassment during detentions.

Journalist arrests

• ▪Indian authorities blocked the Instagram accounts of news outlets Molitics and Journo Mirror during their coverage of the New Delhi protests citing Information Technology Rules.
• ▪Indian police detained nearly 40 journalists over two days of protests in New Delhi, seizing or destroying camera equipment and mobile phones despite press identity cards being presented.

UN human rights criticism

• ▪The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights expressed concern on October 10, 2026 over mass detentions during New Delhi protests and urged the immediate release of arbitrary detainees.
• ▪India's Ministry of External Affairs rejected the UN Human Rights body's concerns as misplaced and called them unwarranted interference in the internal affairs of India.
• ▪Human rights organizations including Amnesty International, CIVICUS, Front Line Defenders, and South Asians for Human Rights issued a joint statement demanding an independent investigation into security force abuses and the release of protesters.

Modi government political pressure

• ▪Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi called for public participation in Delhi demonstrations, leading to mass mobilizations across the capital city on October 12, 2026.
• ▪Resurgent Cockroach movement protests calling for Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's resignation follow earlier July 2026 demonstrations over exam-paper leaks that led to the resignation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's education minister.