Police in India's capital New Delhi have detained leaders of a youth movement known as the "Cockroach" party after the group scaled barricades and entered Jantar Mantar, a familiar protest venue that authorities have just struck from the list of permitted sites. Those detained are demanding the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) over changes to the electoral roll.
According to the movement, leaders Ashutosh Ranka, Saurav Das and Ajinkya Shinde were among roughly 20 volunteers who "slipped" into Jantar Mantar on Tuesday to "reclaim" the protest site. They were taken into custody on the spot.
Throughout this month, supporters of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), joined by opposition parties, have protested almost daily, calling for CEC Gyanesh Kumar to step down over the changes to the voter list. Critics say the revisions favour Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
On Monday, thousands joined a protest march after authorities blocked the CJP's planned weekend demonstration. Police had earlier detained thousands of protesters, including CJP leaders, over the weekend.
Also on Monday, Delhi Police announced that the open-air Jantar Mantar observatory is no longer recognised as an official protest site and identified three new locations for demonstrations.
Despite the announcement, CJP leaders and supporters went ahead with their plan to protest at Jantar Mantar and were arrested.
"Resistance cannot be erased by a notification," CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke wrote on X after the leaders were detained.
A video posted on his account showed about a dozen volunteers jumping over gates and barricades to enter the site, waving Indian flags and chanting slogans before police moved in and detained them.
Delhi Police did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters.
In an earlier post, Dipke said government efforts to seal off the site would not stop their campaign.
"If Modi thinks taking away Jantar Mantar will end the protests, he is mistaken. Jantar Mantar is not just a place but a spirit of resistance that no one can take away," he said.
The youth-led movement has mobilised protests in recent months on a range of issues and is seen as one of the biggest political challenges to the BJP and Prime Minister Modi in his 12 years in power.
India's Election Commission denies favouring any party in the voter-roll revisions and says voters wrongly removed can re-register.
