Abhijeet Dipke

Rahul Gandhi has criticised the judicial custody of Cockroach Janta Party leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka following a protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi. Calling their imprisonment an act of cowardice, Gandhi said students, young people, journalists and the INDIA bloc were united in demanding their constitutional rights. The controversy has intensified the debate over protest rights and electoral transparency.

Protests continued across Delhi after leaders of the Gen Z-led Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) were released from detention. The movement is demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation over alleged voter-roll irregularities linked to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), while authorities face scrutiny over detentions, transport restrictions and internet curbs.

Cockroach Janta Party leaders Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das reached Delhi’s Parliament Street police station on October 12 to seek a fresh date for a peaceful protest at Jantar Mantar against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The move comes amid continuing demonstrations over alleged electoral-roll irregularities linked to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), heightened security in the capital and a planned opposition march to the Supreme Court led by Rahul Gandhi.

Actor-activist Prakash Raj and YouTuber Dhruv Rathee joined a protest at Bengaluru’s Freedom Park on October 8, organised by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and supporters. Protesters demanded the scrapping of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, citing alleged wrongful voter deletions.

Bengaluru’s Freedom Park is witnessing a high-profile mobilisation around the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, with CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke joined by Dhruv Rathee and actor-activist Prakash Raj.

Dhruv Rathee and Prakash Raj are participating in a People's Tribunal organised in Bengaluru over concerns raised by protesters about the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, followed by a symbolic chappal protest.

LPU violence has triggered a political debate in Punjab over student safety, law and order and the government's response. While opposition leaders have made allegations about political involvement and outsiders, Punjab Police has subsequently identified people carrying walkie-talkies as Indian Army personnel. With the SIT investigation continuing, the verified findings will be important in determining the facts behind the unrest.