Opposition leader Dipke accuses Modi of protecting election chief amid Delhi lockdown
Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is shielding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, prompting a protest march in Delhi.
Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke convened a press conference with Neha Bora, Aishe Ghosh, lawyer Prashant Bhushan and actor Prakash Raj, accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of protecting Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar amid criticism of the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision of poll data. Dipke argued that the government has imposed extensive security measures, likening Delhi’s guard to the India-Pakistan border, and has detained opposition figures such as former chief ministers Arvind Kejriwal, Mamata Banerjee and Pinarayi Vijayan.
He highlighted the preventive custody of activists Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka for raising the national flag at Jantar Mantar, as well as metro and railway shutdowns, suggesting these actions aim to safeguard Kumar’s position. The leader called for a “Tiranga Yatra” at Central Park on October 16, framing the issue as a threat to voter rights after claims that 13 crore votes have been deleted. Dipke also referenced former Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar’s resignation, questioning why Kumar receives greater protection.
Why it matters
The claims question electoral fairness and suggest state power is being used to silence dissent in India.
How this story developed
- Oct 8 Protests swell as India’s election commission faces allegations over voter-roll purge
- Oct 10 Police detained many individuals in the hours before the scheduled rally.
- Oct 10 Mumbai police detained Tushar Gandhi, a Gandhi descendant, as part of the wider crackdown.
- Oct 10 The Supreme Court ordered that some train services remain operational despite earlier shutdown orders.
- Oct 10 Police deployed thousands of personnel, closed 45 metro stations and detained additional opposition figures and activists.
- Oct 10 Authorities detained over 1,000 activists and arrested more than 600 people with criminal histories.
- Oct 11 Delhi imposed wide‑scale traffic diversions around key intersections as the protest entered its second day.
- Oct 11 CJP leaders were released after posting a ₹50,000 surety bond.
- Oct 12 Chief Justice Surya Kant declined a direct meeting and said any petition filed on Monday will be considered on Tuesday.
- Oct 12 Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi and the INDIA bloc will march to the Supreme Court at 4 p.m. local time to demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
- Oct 12 Authorities shut six metro stations and deployed thousands of security personnel for a third consecutive day.
- Oct 13 The Supreme Court flagged fourteen procedural defects in the opposition’s petition.
- Oct 14 Two leaders of the Cockroach Janta Party were placed in five-day judicial custody after entering Jantar Mantar, while a boat on the Ganges in Bihar capsized, killing at least 13, mostly children.
- Oct 15 Opposition leaders announced a coordinated rally to demand the release of the detained activists.
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