The leader of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), Abhijeet Dipke, and thousands of others were arrested by Indian police on Saturday in a crackdown on opposition and planned protests calling for the resignation of ‌the chief election commissioner over alleged voter list fraud.

Mr Dipke was arrested by the police as soon as his plane touched down at Delhi airport on Saturday. Other members of CJP were also arrested and detained.

Footage of Mr Dipke telling police that he and other CJP members are not afraid of being arrested on the plane emerged on social media in the early hours of Saturday.

“We’re not afraid of you. If you think you can stop us by threatening us with jail, then you have it wrong. Put us in jail if you want,” the CJP leader shouted as he was arrested by the police.

The CJP on social media said, “It has been 10 hours since Delhi police abducted Abhijeet Dipke, Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das. We still don’t know where they are, and we have had no contact with them. Where is Delhi police holding them? 

Delhi police refused to grant CJP permission for their protest in the country’s capital. Before Saturday, hordes of police officers had barricaded roads in Delhi.

In recent months, the CJP has emerged as a strong opposition party, with its members staging massive protests that disrupt economic and commercial activities in India.

Amnesty International on Friday said, “From denying permission for a peaceful demonstration, halting all Delhi-bound trains, and sealing the city’s borders, to issuing an internet suspension order near the protest site and pre-emptively arresting activists – India’s authorities are leaving no stone unturned in their bid to prevent this march from happening.”

Condemning the government’s plot to stop the protests from happening, the human rights organisation said, “The right to protest is protected in India’s constitution. The authorities must immediately lift all these arbitrary restrictions, which violate India’s obligations under international law. Demonstrations should not depend on obtaining prior permission from the police.”