Indian court releases 'cockroach' movement leaders from detention
Summary
Indian authorities released the founder of the youth-led Cockroach Janta Party and two other leaders after detaining them ahead of a major protest in New Delhi over alleged misconduct in a voter-roll revision. Opposition leaders and the U.N. human rights chief condemned the crackdown, while protesters vowed to continue demonstrations.
Key Points
- The founder of India's youth-led Cockroach Janta Party, Abhijeet Dipke, and two other leaders were released after being detained ahead of a protest in New Delhi.
- The protest targeted the Election Commission of India over a nationwide voter-roll revision that critics say disproportionately affected minorities.
- Authorities said the revision was meant to remove duplicate, deceased and fraudulent entries, while the ECI denied wrongdoing.
- Rahul Gandhi and other opposition figures accused Narendra Modi's government of suppressing dissent and said protests would continue.
