NEW DELHI: India’s youth-led Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) said Tuesday that key leaders had been detained after entering an iconic protest site in New Delhi blocked by police.
Opposition parties and supporters of the movement have taken to the streets in recent days, defying a security clampdown to demand the resignation of the head of India’s election commission, accusing it of manipulating voter rolls to benefit Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling party.
The Election Commission of India, which oversees the voting process in the world’s most populous nation, has denied any wrongdoing.
Delhi Police said on Monday that Jantar Mantar in the heart of the capital had been taken off the list of designated official protest sites.
The site has been sealed off for several days by yellow metal barricades and guarded by a heavy police presence.
But a video posted online by CJP leader Abhijeet Dipke on Tuesday showed protesters clambering over the barricades, running into the space and waving the national flag — before police chased and detained them.
“CJP sneaks inside to reclaim Jantar Mantar,” the group said in a post on social media, adding that those detained included leaders Saurav Das, Ashutosh Ranka and Ajinkya Shinde.
“All of them have been detained by Delhi Police,” it added.
Delhi Police had announced three official sites on Monday as alternatives to Jantar Mantar, where protesters have gathered for decades — including CJP demonstrations that led to the education minister stepping down over an examination scandal in July.
“You cannot denotify the resistance,” Dipke said, tagging Modi in his post.
With tens of thousands of security personnel deployed around key areas, including the main protest site at Jantar Mantar, demonstrators have resorted to flash protests at unexpected locations, forcing authorities to respond on the move.
From Batman masks to volunteer rescue networks, young protesters are adopting improvised tactics to evade surveillance and sustain demonstrations amid a sweeping security crackdown in the capital.
Thousands of people were detained during weekend demonstrations, although many were later released.
Digital Rescue Network
Meghnad S., a 36-year-old content creator, has helped organise a network of around 170 volunteers using smartphones and online coordination to track police vehicles and help locate detained protesters.
Once a detainee’s location is identified, volunteers use a digital dashboard and WhatsApp groups to connect them with drivers offering transport, food and water.
Doctors are also sometimes recruited to accompany those being released.
The network has become an informal support system for demonstrators trying to find their way home after detention.
Masks And Make-Up
Student leader Neha Bora attracted online attention after police detained a woman who resembled her. Bora later posted a photograph with her lookalike, describing the resemblance as “pure coincidence, not strategy”.
Other demonstrators have worn Batman masks to avoid being identified, while Bollywood actress Richa Chadha urged protesters to consider make-up as a way to frustrate facial-recognition surveillance.
Videos also showed protesters linking arms as police moved to detain them, with some managing to slip away from waiting buses.
The demonstrations have become a test of endurance between security forces seeking to contain gatherings and young activists using social media, rapid coordination and unconventional tactics to keep their movement visible.
