Neha Bora and Abhijeet Dipke share online joke amid Delhi protests

Delhi Police detained more than 160 protesters, including student leader Neha Bora, advocate Prashant Bhushan, and activist Yogendra Yadav, during a second day of demonstrations demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

The crackdown on Saturday came as demonstrators attempted to march to Jantar Mantar to protest against the Election Commission's handling of electoral-roll revisions. But amid the heavy police presence and blockades, a lighter moment emerged online.

An X user posted a comparison of Bora, the national president of the All India Students’ Association (AISA), and Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke. The user declared that "maturity is realising Neha Bora is more talented than Abhijeet Dipke," calling her a "complete Gen Z icon".

Dipke, whose own party is campaigning against the Chief Election Commissioner, quickly defused any potential rivalry. He replied on X: "I agree."

The street demonstrations in Delhi

The online banter stood in stark contrast to the scene on the streets of the capital, where student and political activists have faced consecutive days of mass detentions.

The protests began on Friday, 2 October, when police stopped around 350 students and activists marching from near the Vice-President's House. Many, including Bora and Yadav, were detained before they could even reach Jantar Mantar, the city's designated protest site.

Organisers and student leaders say they are protesting against the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, which they claim lacks transparency.

On Saturday, activists returned to Ashoka Road. Despite police imposing prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, which bans public gatherings, protesters began marching from Vithal Bhai Patel House around 3 pm.

What happens next

The march lasted barely 15 minutes before police began detaining participants. AISA member N Sai Balaji said officers moved quickly to round up leaders, sending them to different police stations. Bhushan, Yadav, and activist Anjali Bhardwaj were taken to the Badarpur Police Station.

In a video shared on social media after his detention, Bhushan said that the police "cannot silence the voice of the people."

The demonstrations are set to intensify. Yadav has called for a fresh citizen's march to Jantar Mantar, starting from India Gate. Meanwhile, Dipke has announced that the CJP will hold a peaceful demonstration at Jantar Mantar on 10 October if the Chief Election Commissioner does not resign.