NEW DELHI: Police detained Abhijeet Dipke, founder of India's 'Cockroach' movement, on Friday, according to live footage shared by his group, ahead of a protest he had called in the capital's central business district.
The rally was the latest in a series of demonstrations demanding the resignation of India's election chief.
The youth-led 'Cockroach Janta Party' (CJP), opposition groups and student organisations have held almost daily protests this month demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's resignation over a revision of voter lists that critics say favours Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
More than 130 million voters were deleted during the revision, but the Election Commission has denied favouring any party and said wrongly deleted voters can re-enrol. The BJP has accused rivals of trying to undermine democracy by wrongly questioning legitimate electoral processes.
Dipke called Friday's protest in support of two CJP leaders who were detained and sent to jail this week for five days after demonstrating at a protest site in violation of a ban.
The group and left-wing student organisations had urged supporters to gather at Central Park in New Delhi's busy Connaught Place shopping and food district on Friday evening to wave and hoist the national flag.
Live video on CJP's Instagram account showed Dipke leaving a house and walking towards the street, where police officers stopped him and, after a brief argument, bundled him into a police car and drove away.
"We are detaining you right now," a police officer could be heard telling Dipke.
"I have not broken any law right now... how can you detain me," Dipke asked the officers as he was taken away.
There was no immediate comment from the police on the detention.
Earlier on Friday, police met Dipke and warned him against going ahead with the protest.
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