India’s ‘Cockroach’ CJP Leader Abhijeet Dipke Released After Detention

Dipke freed after detention

Dipke, 31, was detained Friday as he tried to join a CJP-called rally in central Delhi’s Connaught Place district. The party later posted a photo of him on X and described him as “a free man.” CJP legal affairs chief Ratna Singh announced on social media that Dipke had been released. She said he accepted certain conditions but gave no details. On Instagram, Dipke said he had expected jail and was prepared to face what followed after returning to India.

Protests focus on voter rolls

Large rallies have called for Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar to step down over allegations of voter-list manipulation. All India Students’ Association President Neha Bora, detained during a New Delhi protest Friday, was released that evening.

A review called Special Intensive Revision has removed more than 130 million names from electoral rolls since it began last year. Opposition leaders and critics say many removed voters are minorities and accuse Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s BJP of seeking electoral advantage. The Election Commission of India denies favoring any party. It says the revision removes deceased, relocated and duplicate voters, and helps prevent the inclusion of “foreign illegal immigrants.”

Two CJP leaders await release

Senior CJP leaders Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das were arrested on October 14 for entering Jantar Mantar, a long-standing protest site in central Delhi. Police had blocked the area with barricades and deployed personnel.

The pair were given five days of judicial custody, which ends Sunday. CJP has warned of legal action if they are not released. Dipke posted a photo of Ranka and Das, saying he was waiting for his “brothers to be free.”