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.