Indian police release activist Abhijeet Dipke from detention

Indian police released Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the youth-led Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), from detention on Saturday after detaining him ahead of a planned rally against India's chief election commissioner.

The activist was taken into custody in New Delhi as he made his way to join protesters in Connaught Place, a central district in the capital, on Friday. This move came despite opposition parties and CJP activists continuing to defy a security crackdown that had been put in place.

Two other CJP leaders remain in police custody after being arrested while demonstrating at a protest site that authorities had deemed off-limits. The detentions have sparked widespread criticism from those who see the actions as an attempt to suppress dissenting voices.

Dipke, 31, was seen leaving a police station on Saturday afternoon, waving to reporters and giving a thumbs up before being driven away.

The controversy surrounding India's electoral rolls has taken another turn as it was revealed that over 130 million voters had been deleted during a recent revision process.

This revelation has sparked concerns about the integrity of the electoral system in the world's most populous nation. However, the commission responsible for overseeing voting in India has denied any wrongdoing and dismissed allegations of irregularities.

The detention of Dipke on Friday marked another dramatic turn in this ongoing saga. He was taken into custody as he stepped out of a house in central Delhi after a brief argument with police officers who had arrived to apprehend him.

Dipke's arrest came just hours before a planned protest in support of two jailed activists, Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das, who are currently being held for demonstrating at a restricted protest site.

Neha Bora, a key figure in India's student-led protests against electoral roll revisions, was released from police custody on Saturday after being detained on Friday for attempting to reach central Delhi with supporters.

Bora had called for the removal of Gyanesh Kumar and an end to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process, which she claimed was crippling ordinary citizens' rights and freedoms. Her release came just hours before a planned protest in support of jailed activists who were demonstrating at a restricted site.

The protests have been fueled by allegations that large numbers of undocumented Muslim migrants from Bangladesh are being added to India's electoral rolls, a claim made by members of the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). However, rights groups and critics argue that the Modi government has eroded democratic freedoms during its over decade-long tenure.

The release of Bora comes as a significant development in the protests, with many seeing it as a victory for the movement.