Indian authorities detain head of "Cockroach" movement, hundreds of protesters still gather in New Delhi demanding election commission chief's resignation

According to France 24 English channel, Indian police on October 10 (Saturday) detained the head of a satirical online movement called "Cockroach," in an attempt to dismantle a protest held that day in New Delhi — demonstrators demanded the resignation of the election commission chairman.

The report pointed out that despite authorities deploying tight security blockades, hundreds of protesters still gathered as planned in the capital. The detainee, as the core organizer of the online movement, was regarded by police as a key node of the protest.

The "Cockroach" movement mainly operates through online platforms, using satirical methods to criticize India's electoral system. The movement's specific demands, organizational scale, the exact identity of the detained leader and the number of people detained at the same time currently lack clear public information disclosure.

The Election Commission is the core institution in India that administers federal and local elections, with its chairman appointed by the government. Over the past many years, the neutrality of this institution in handling opposition party complaints and investigating election irregularities has continuously been questioned by political observers and opposition parties. Against the backdrop of ongoing election disputes, the authorities' preventive detention of a core figure of a satirical online movement once again highlights the tension between executive power and political expression.