NEW DELHI.– Indian police detained thousands of protesters and the founder of the "Cockroaches" youth movement this Saturday, while security forces closed off traffic in some areas of the capital to prevent a demonstration against the electoral authorities. The protest was the culmination of weeks of opposition mobilization following complaints of irregularities during a nationwide review of the electoral rolls conducted by the Election Commission (CEI). Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the Cockroach People's Party (CJP), and two other leaders of that party were detained before disembarking from a flight in the capital, according to a statement from the group. Police take away a protester at the New Delhi demonstration Vipin - AP The CJP —which emerged in May as a satirical internet movement— also reported that thousands of protesters were detained in New Delhi as they tried to march toward the main protest site, Jantar Mantar. "More than 15,000 protesters have been detained," said another leader of the movement, Ajinkya Shinde, at a press conference in Delhi. According to the newspaper The Hindu, more than 5,000 people were detained since the morning. Several media outlets, including Scroll and Newslaundry, reported that some of their journalists had also been briefly detained. Police had cracked down with tear gas in July on a massive student protest against the government. Footage showed Dipke defying the officers who approached him aboard the plane. "I have come to be arrested, arrest me, I am not afraid of you," he said. "No, this is not an arrest," an officer replied. "Please cooperate." The UN Human Rights Office demanded the "immediate" and "unconditional" release of all people "arbitrarily detained" in New Delhi, said Thameen Al-Kheetan, a spokesperson for the Geneva-based body. In Gandhi's company Despite the crackdown, there were small protests at other points in the city, including a popular handicrafts market and the monument to the historic leader Mahatma Gandhi, where slogans were chanted demanding the resignation of the Election Commission chief, Gyanesh Kumar. "Long live the revolution!" chanted some young protesters in central Delhi as police chased them and dragged dozens of them onto buses to take them away, even as more kept arriving. "This is a violation of the people's rights and the country will no longer tolerate it," said Yogendra Solanki as police escorted him away. For several weeks, the opposition Congress Party and the "cockroaches" movement have been protesting against a review of the electoral rolls that has resulted in the removal of 130 million registered voters, according to the press. Its detractors claim that the review aims to exclude minorities, especially Muslims, and the most vulnerable populations, to the benefit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of the Hindu ultranationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The CEI denied any irregularity in the procedure, stating that the review was aimed at removing duplicate and ineligible voters, including "illegal foreign immigrants." Before the protest, the capital's authorities deployed thousands of police officers, closed dozens of metro stations, canceled more than 200 trains, and temporarily suspended mobile internet service around the demonstration site. Protesters in New Delhi are loaded into a police transport Vipin - AP At the head of the demonstration, opposition leader Rahul Gandhi called on the population not to be deterred by the crackdown and to continue the mobilization. "Keep demonstrating," the Congress Party lawmaker said on social media. "Mr. Modi, do whatever you want, arrest the leaders, arrest the young people, arrest us all: we will not back down." For the "Cockroach" movement, the dispute over the electoral rolls is an opportunity to expand its campaign. The movement originated on the internet in May and gained notoriety through demonstrations, sit-ins, and hunger strikes over alleged exam leaks. Those protests culminated in the resignation of the Education Minister, an uncommon setback for a prime minister who has maintained a firm grip on national power for more than 12 years. For Modi, the protests represent a challenge midway through his third term, although their political impact remains unclear. National elections will not be held until 2029, but next year's state elections in Uttar Pradesh —the country's most populous state, governed by the BJP— and in Gujarat, Modi's home state, will test the party's strength. Agencies AFP, ANSA and Reuters India Narendra Modi