A special magistrate in Delhi ordered the release of two prominent figures from India’s Cockroach Janta party movement on Wednesday evening, following their week-long detention at Tihar jail. Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were arrested by Delhi police after participating in protest activities and were required to sign a bond pledging to maintain peace as a condition of their release.
The two leaders were initially detained following a Cockroach march held two weeks prior to their arrest, during which demonstrators gathered to protest allegations of electoral roll manipulation. Their second arrest occurred when they crossed police barricades and held an Indian flag at a cordoned-off area in central Delhi. They faced charges of trespass and breach of peace, receiving initial five-day jail sentences that were subsequently extended by two additional days. The magistrate’s decision to release them came despite police opposition.
The Cockroach movement, which originated as online satire earlier in the year, has expanded into a political force advocating for the resignation of chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The movement alleges that over 130 million names have been deleted from the voter register through a revision process benefiting the ruling Bharatiya Janata party, claims denied by the party. In recent months, Cockroach-led demonstrations contributed to the resignation of Modi’s education minister.
Movement founder Abhijeet Dipke, who was also detained on Friday for calling for a peaceful demonstration, indicated the group would continue mobilizing despite government pressure. He characterized recent arrests as intimidation tactics and stated the movement views the situation as a protracted struggle. The court’s ruling represents a setback for the Modi government’s approach to suppressing recent nationwide protests.
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