India 'cockroach' leaders freed on peace term, lawyer says

Three leaders of India's youth-led online Cockroach Janta Party, including founder Abhijeet Dipke, were released on Sunday by an executive magistrate's court, lawyer Ratna Singh said, after being detained before a planned New Delhi protest over the Election Commission of India.

Singh said the court released Dipke and two other leaders on condition that they make “no breach of peace for one year.” AFP journalists saw Dipke leave the court in a black vehicle.

The CJP and opposition parties have been demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over a nationwide voter-roll revision. Election authorities say the exercise is meant to remove duplicate, deceased and fraudulent entries. Critics say it has disproportionately affected minorities, particularly Muslims, and could benefit Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party. The ECI has rejected allegations of wrongdoing.

The CJP said thousands were detained before Saturday's planned demonstration at Jantar Mantar. CJP leader Ajinkya Shinde put the number at more than 15,000; The Hindu reported more than 5,000, and AFP said the totals could not immediately be verified.

The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights called for the immediate and unconditional release of people it described as arbitrarily detained in New Delhi. Rahul Gandhi said his Congress party and young people would take to the streets again on Monday, while the CJP has urged supporters to continue protests.