Friday's arrest was the second in a week for Dipke, whom police pulled off a plane in New Delhi on October 10 before a court ordered his release the following day. Authorities also closed a central New Delhi park on Friday and earlier remanded two other Cockroach Janta Party leaders to five days of judicial custody after they scaled barricades at Jantar Mantar, which lost its status as an authorized protest venue during the crackdown. Earlier in the week, opposition leader Rahul Gandhi led thousands of demonstrators in a march to the Supreme Court to challenge the electoral roll overhaul.
Opposition parties and youth activists allege that the removal of more than 130 million voter entries, roughly the population of Mexico, disproportionately disenfranchised Muslim and marginalized citizens to benefit Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party. The Election Commission and the BJP deny wrongdoing, saying the Special Intensive Revision only removed deceased, duplicate and relocated voters and that eligible citizens can reapply using Form 6. The purge also drew criticism from US Representative Pramila Jayapal, who expressed support for the protesters and said she was "deeply concerned" by the deletions, prompting a rebuke from India's ambassador to the US.