India sends ‘cockroach’ leaders to jail after protest

NEW DELHI: Two leaders of India’s youth-led movement Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) were remanded in custody for five days on Wednesday, as police clamp down on protests against the election commission.

CJP activists and opposition parties have defied a security crackdown to demand the resignation of India’s chief election commissioner, accusing the poll body of manipulating voter rolls to benefit Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling party. The commission, which oversees voting in the world’s most populous nation, has denied any wrongdoing.

Delhi Police said CJP leaders Ashutosh Ranka, 30, and Saurav Das, 27, were taken into custody for their “alleged repeated attempts to disturb public peace and violate the law”.