Key leadership members of a political movement group comprising Generation Z (born 1995–2007) in India, who have been leading protests demanding the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner, were detained after entering an area where demonstrations are banned.

According to AFP and other reports on the 13th (local time), the "Cockroach Janata Party" (CJP), an Indian Gen Z political movement group, stated that its key leaders entered Jantar Mantar, which had been blockaded by police, and were subsequently hauled away by authorities.

Among those detained were three members of the leadership, including CJP co-founder Saurabh Das and CJP spokesperson Ashutosh Lanka.

Another co-founder, Abhijit Dipke (31), did not participate in the protest that day and was not included on the list of detainees.

Previously, they arrived in New Delhi on the 10th to lead the protests, but were taken into custody by police directly at the airport.

Although they were released after a day on the condition that they would not disturb the peace for the next year, they warned that they would continue their protests until Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar steps down.

A video posted online by Dipke on the same day showed CJP leadership crossing barricades to enter Jantar Mantar, waving the Indian flag, and then being chased and arrested by police.

The CJP explained through social media, "We sneaked in to reclaim Jantar Mantar," and added, "The leadership has all been detained by the Delhi police."

Jantar Mantar is an observatory located in the central business district of New Delhi. The previous day, Indian police excluded the area from government-designated protest zones and announced three alternative locations.

Yellow barricades have been set up throughout the Jantar Mantar area to blockade it, and a heavy police presence has been deployed to control access.

While the Indian Constitution guarantees the freedom of peaceful assembly, police sometimes restrict the locations and methods of assemblies citing the maintenance of public order.

Dipke tagged Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a social media post, writing, "Resistance cannot be dismantled."

Prime Minister Modi attended a business conference in New Delhi on the same day and emphasized that "(India is) the mother of democracy," but did not directly mention the current protests.

He stated, "In our country, citizens openly debate various issues and discuss differing perspectives."

The current protests began on the 2nd of this month in the western economic hub of Mumbai, after the Indian media outlet The Indian Express first reported last month on suspicions regarding the Election Commission's voter rolls.

Modifications to the voter registry by the Election Commission resulted in the removal of 133 million names, a number larger than the entire population of Japan.

Suspicions were also raised that opposition supporters were purged from the lists in large numbers, prompting criticisms that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), led by Prime Minister Modi, might gain an advantage in future elections.

However, the Election Commission of India countered that disagreements among election commissioners are a routine occurrence that can happen in any institution, denying any wrongdoing.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)