(Adnkronos) – Five days of pre-trial detention in India for two leaders of the ‘cockroach’ movement, the Cockroach Janta Party (Cjp). The BBC reports this. Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were brought before a judge this morning after being stopped yesterday in New Delhi during a protest, after climbing over – along with other people – a gate and barriers at Jantar Mantar, a site where authorities no longer want demonstrations.
Police accuse Das, Rankha, and activist Ajinkya Shinde of violating restrictive orders and resisting a public official. The three rejected the accusations. Shinde was released on bail. The founder of the Cjp, Abhijeet Dipke, accused Narendra Modi’s government of stifling dissent and issued a ‘challenge’ to the prime minister, asking him – according to the Indian agency Pti – to “officially declare a state of emergency”.
For days, protests have been ongoing in the Asian giant demanding the resignation of the head of the Election Commission, Gyanesh Kumar. In the background are accusations of alleged irregularities in the electoral rolls during a disputed review process. Kumar and the Commission reject the accusations.
