Indian youth leader says protest will go ahead despite detentions

• Summary

• ‘Cockroach’ movement to stick to Saturday protest plan
• Thousands of security forces to guard central site
• Protesters, opposition want top poll official to resign

The leader ​of India’s “Cockroach” youth movement said a major planned protest would go ahead in New Delhi on ‌Saturday, despite the detentions of followers he estimated to run into the thousands, calling for the resignation of the top poll official.

The dispute centres on a controversial revision of voting lists that dropped 130 million voters nationwide, spurring demands by the youth movement, opposition ​parties, and their student units for the official, Gyanesh Kumar, to resign.

“I’ll be landing in Delhi ​tomorrow and will march to Jantar Mantar, come what may,” Abhijeet Dipke, the founder ⁠of the Cockroach Janata Party, said on X on Friday, referring to a designated protest site in ​the capital.

“The youth of this country are no longer scared of you,” he added in the message, addressing ​Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

NO PERMISSION FOR ​PROTEST, POLICE SAY

Police in the capital said the CJP did not have permission for Saturday’s protest and could ​face legal action if protesters violated rules.