India shuts New Delhi’s Central Park for two days ahead of ‘cockroach’ rally over voter rolls
New Delhi shut Central Park in Connaught Place for two days on Friday as the Cockroach Janta Party rally planned for the venue turned into a fresh confrontation between the movement and the authorities. Thousands of security personnel were deployed across the capital, and yellow-coloured metal barricades appeared at key intersections hours before supporters were to gather to demand the election chief’s resignation.
The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), founded by Abhijeet Dipke, has organised almost daily protests this month against a nationwide revision of electoral rolls that critics say has disenfranchised millions and favoured Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s BJP.
Why the Cockroach Janta Party rally was called
The rally is the latest round in a protest wave that began after more than 130 million names, 13 crore, were removed from draft electoral rolls under the nationwide Special Intensive Revision (SIR), according to media reports.
Critics say the deletions have fallen disproportionately on minorities, particularly Muslims. The poll panel denies any wrongdoing: it says the revision was meant to strip out duplicate, dead and fraudulent entries, and that wrongly deleted voters can re-enrol.
The movement took its name earlier this year, after Dipke turned a remark by the chief justice comparing unemployed youth to “cockroaches” into a satirical rallying cry that spread online.
What the SIR fight is really about
The official purpose is simple: clean India’s voter lists of duplicates and people who have died or moved. The political problem is the scale: with 13 crore names struck off draft rolls, even a small error rate could wrongly delete hundreds of thousands of genuine voters.
At a press conference on Thursday, Dipke noted the margin of victory in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections was just two per cent, while the BJP won 240 of the 543 seats with 36.56 per cent of the votes polled. “Where 2 per cent is deciding the election, you are deleting 13 crore votes,” Dipke asked. “What is this if not a setting?”
The Commission says anyone removed in error can re-enrol. The opposition counters that ordinary voters must now prove they belong on lists they never knew had changed. On Thursday, the Supreme Court issued notices to the poll panel on a petition led by Rahul Gandhi challenging the revision.
Park shut, barricades up, detentions
Delhi’s municipal authorities said Central Park would remain shut for two days for “administrative” reasons. Delhi Police barred public gatherings around Connaught Place, citing public order and safety. Violation would “attract suitable legal action”, police said on Thursday, though they added they would allow “selected persons” to gather at a “suitable place”.
Two CJP leaders were detained and sent to jail for five days for demonstrating in violation of a ban, according to Reuters. Indian media named them as Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das, held after breaching barricades at Jantar Mantar, Earlier in the week, Jantar Mantar lost its authorisation as a protest site.
Dipke said on Thursday that he was undeterred by the prospect of arrest. “Why are you so afraid of cockroaches?” he asked. “I want to tell Narendra Modi that we are not afraid… if waving the Indian national flag lands you in jail, we are ready.”
The rally call came in support of the two detained leaders. Earlier demonstrations saw Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi, detained in the capital, alongside Gen Z-led protests after large police deployments and the detention of CJP leaders last weekend. Traders near Connaught Place petitioned the Supreme Court to block the gathering, citing festive-season losses.
Government dismisses the allegations
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh dismissed the allegations on Friday, saying the opposition’s sole agenda was “to destroy democratic institutions and create unrest in the country”. “Their fight is not for electoral reform… not for Gyanesh Kumar, not for the bright future of the country’s youth,” Singh said. “Rather, this is their conspiracy to seize power by creating anarchy in the country.”
*Source: Dawn*
FAQs
Why was Central Park in New Delhi shut?
Municipal authorities closed the park for two days for “administrative” reasons ahead of the CJP rally, and Delhi Police barred public gatherings around Connaught Place, citing public order.
What is the Cockroach Janta Party?
A youth-led movement founded by Abhijeet Dipke, named for a satirical response to a remark comparing unemployed youth to “cockroaches”. It demands the election chief’s resignation over the voter-list revision.
How many names were removed from India’s voter lists?
More than 130 million, or 13 crore, from draft rolls under the Special Intensive Revision, according to media reports. The Commission says it removed duplicate, dead and fraudulent entries.
What did Rajnath Singh say about the protests?
He dismissed the allegations, saying the opposition’s sole agenda was “to destroy democratic institutions and create unrest in the country”.
