# Indian court frees Cockroach movement leaders

> A Delhi court ordered the release of two protest leaders jailed during the government's crackdown on youth-led demonstrations against electoral roll manipulation.
- Title: Indian court frees Cockroach movement leaders · the Guardian
- Summary: A Delhi court ordered the release of two protest leaders jailed during the government's crackdown on youth-led demonstrations against electoral roll…
- Keywords: cockroach movement, saurav das, ashutosh ranka, delhi, india, narendra modi, electoral roll, protest, government crackdown, news, world, Indian
- Source: the Guardian — https://theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/21/india-cockroach-movement-leaders-released-protests-government-crackdown
- Published: 2026-10-21T15:26:25+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: cockroach movement, saurav das, ashutosh ranka, delhi, india, narendra modi, electoral roll, protest, government crackdown, news, world
## Two protest leaders freed
An Indian court ordered the release of Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, leaders of the Cockroach movement, after they spent a week in Delhi's Tihar jail.
## Why they were arrested
Das and Ranka were jailed after jumping police barricades and holding up an Indian flag at a cordoned-off site in central Delhi, then charged with trespass and violating the peace.
## Part of wider crackdown
Their arrest followed a police crackdown on a Cockroach march two weeks earlier protesting alleged manipulation of India's electoral roll, which led to thousands being detained.
## The electoral roll dispute
The Cockroach movement and opposition groups are calling for the resignation of chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, accused of overseeing a revision that deleted more than one hundred thirty million names from the voter register.
## Movement vows to continue
Cockroach founder Abhijeet Dipke said the movement would not be intimidated by arrests. He vowed they would gather, re-strategise, and determine how to move forward after Das and Ranka's release.

> This is a long battle and we are prepared for it.
## Court ruling challenges Modi
The release is a setback for the Narendra Modi government, which has implemented an unforgiving crackdown on recent protests erupting across India over electoral manipulation.
## Key takeaway

An Indian court ordered the release of Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, leaders of the Cockroach movement, after they spent a week in jail for defying protest restrictions during a government crackdown.