India’s ‘cockroach’ movement leader detained as capital locks down

Police detained more than 2,000 protesters and the founder of the “cockroach” youth movement in Delhi on Saturday as security forces locked down parts of the capital to thwart a demonstration demanding the resignation of India’s election chief.

Thousands of police and paramilitary personnel were deployed across the city, mobile internet services were suspended in the central business district, and dozens of metro stations and markets were shut as authorities moved to stop a rally organised by the ‌cockroach movement.

The protest was aimed at Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over a revision of voter lists that critics say disproportionately benefits Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The movement had planned to gather thousands of people at Jantar Mantar, a designated protest site in central Delhi. But the area was sealed off by security forces before the demonstration began.