An Indian court has ordered the release of two leaders of India’s Cockroach movement, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, who were jailed last week amid a growing state crackdown on youth-led protests.
Background
The leaders of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) movement had spent a week in Delhi’s Tihar jail after being arrested by Delhi police. Their arrest followed a police crackdown on a CJP march held in the capital two weeks prior, which protested alleged manipulation of the country’s electoral roll. This crackdown resulted in barricading central Delhi and the detention of thousands of young protesters.
Court Ruling
On Wednesday, a special magistrate ordered that Das and Ranka be released, despite police efforts to keep them in custody. They were required to sign a bond pledging no further breach of peace. Their detention had sparked outrage among supporters of the youth movement, who accused the government of cowardice for jailing CJP leaders for a peaceful protest.
Reactions
After the magistrate’s ruling, Das stated that "truth has triumphed." The release of the two leaders is seen as a setback for the ruling Narendra Modi government, which has been implementing a stringent crackdown on recent protests across India.
