New Delhi locked down as police detain 'Cockroach' movement leaders

Police in New Delhi detained over 1,000 protesters and locked down the capital ahead of a planned protest demanding the resignation of India's election chief.

• Delhi police detained more than 1,000 protesters, journalists, opposition politicians, lawyers and the founders of the satirical Cockroach Janta Party.
• The capital was shut down, with trains cancelled, mobile internet suspended, metro stations closed and thousands of security personnel deployed.
• CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, detained on his flight from Mumbai, said, "I have come to get arrested. I am not afraid of you guys."
• BJP spokesman Sambit Patra dismissed the demonstrators as "anarchic elements," saying their "flop show has been completely demolished."
• Police detained tens of thousands of people, far exceeding the earlier reported figure of 1,000.
• The movement protests the removal of 130 million names from India's electoral roll, which it alleges entrenches Narendra Modi's government.
• The demonstrators demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, backed by opposition parties, student groups and civil society.
• The movement began in May after India's Chief Justice compared unemployed youth to 'cockroaches'.
• The CJP shared footage of leader Abhijeet Dipke's detention after his arrival in the capital.
• Police briefly detained opposition leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday during the crackdown in New Delhi.
• The UN human rights office urged India to release all those detained in the crackdown.