India: Cockroach Janta Party announces Delhi march for October 10, calls for election chief’s resignation

The Cockroach Janta Party has called for a protest in Delhi if Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar does not resign. After the Indian men’s cricket team struck gold, all eyes are on their hockey counterparts.

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India Mumbai 2026 | Abhijeet Dipke at a CJP protest in Mumbai
The Cockroach Janta Party called for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar at a mass gathering in Mumbai on FridayImage: Indranil Mukherjee/AFP

Skip next section What you need to know

What you need to know

  • Cockroach Janta Party set for round two with march to Delhi on October 10 demanding election chief’s resignation
  • India beat Pakistan in the Asian Games gold medal match in Japan
  • Indian men eye hockey gold after women secure Olympics berth with their own gold

Here are the top headlines from India on Saturday, October 3:

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Skip next section India beat Pakistan by 19 runs to retain Asian Games cricket gold10/03/2026October 3, 2026

India beat Pakistan by 19 runs to retain Asian Games cricket gold

Asian Games 2026 | Final | Pakistan vs. India | Sahibzada Farhan hits the ball
India set up a total of 211 in 20 overs during the men’s cricket final match against PakistanImage: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP

India successfully defended their Asian Games men’s cricket gold medal, beating rivals Pakistan by 19 runs in Saturday’s final in Nisshin, Japan.

After posting 211-6 backed by Abhishek Sharma’s 61 off 20 balls and a late effort from Tilak Varma and Shivam Dube, India restricted Pakistan to 192-6 despite a big knock of 96 off 51 balls from Hasan Nawaz. 

Asian Games 2026 | Final | Pakistan vs. India | Abhishek Sharma action
India’s Abhishek Sharma propelled his side into a comfortable pace by hitting 61 off just 20 ballsImage: Anushree Fadnavis/REUTERS

Nawaz fell four runs short of a century on the final ball of the innings, when he was caught by wicketkeeper Sanju Samson off Dube’s bowling. It marked Pakistan’s first-ever appearance in a men’s Asian Games cricket final.

The event also marked one of the game’s fiercest rivalries played out on an unlikely stage: a converted baseball field in suburban Nagoya, where Indians and Pakistanis living in Japan queued for hours to fill the 2,500-capacity venue. 

“I think this is never going to happen again, India against Pakistan in Japan,” Pakistan supporter Umer Dar, a 26-year-old Nagoya resident, told AFP.

“Even if it’s in Japan, the craze of India versus Pakistan is always there,” added Tokyo-based India fan Afroz Khan. “Anywhere they play in the world, it’s always crazy.”

While cricket remains a niche sport in Japan, there has been growing local interest, as shown by India’s first-ever T20 international against Japan last week, which India won by just two runs in a rain-shortened match.

https://p.dw.com/p/5NgtFSkip next section Pranavi Urs scripts history, wins Asian Games golf gold10/03/2026October 3, 2026

Pranavi Urs scripts history, wins Asian Games golf gold

Seerat Chabba

Asian Games 2026 | Golf | Final | Pranavi Urs
India’s Pranavi Urs took gold in the women’s individual finalImage: Andy Chua/REUTERS

Pranavi Urs has become the first Indian woman to win gold in the Asian Games individual golf after she sank a nerve-wracking three-foot par putt on the final green to clinch the title by one stroke, finishing at 15-under par. 

Teammates Aditi Ashok and Diksha Dagar celebrated by soaking Urs with water as her win was confirmed.

China’s Yin Ruoning and Singapore’s Shannon Tan tied for silver and bronze a stroke back, with Yin claiming silver after a playoff.

This is India’s first gold in the sport since Shiv Kapur’s men’s title in 2002. Urs, Ashok and Dagar also came together to win India its first-ever team silver in the event. China won team gold, with Taiwan’s team, featuring five-time major champion Tseng Ya-ni, taking bronze.

https://p.dw.com/p/5NgqeSkip next section CJP calls for mass Delhi march on October 10 10/03/2026October 3, 2026

CJP calls for mass Delhi march on October 10

Seerat Chabba

The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has announced it will mobilize a nationwide march on New Delhi next weekend unless Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar resigns.

The call follows a protest at Mumbai’s Shivaji Park that drew thousands of demonstrators despite police denying permission for the gathering.

A similar protest at New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar saw several opposition politicians and student leaders being detained on Friday, which is also observed as Gandhi Jayanti to honor the birth of Mahatma Gandhi, a global pioneer of nonviolence.

India New Delhi 2026 | Members of police push a bus carrying detained demonstrators during a protest
Local police detained several demonstrators in New DelhiImage: Bhawika Chhabra/REUTERS

“If Gyanesh Kumar doesn’t resign, cockroaches from across India will march to Delhi and protest at Jantar Mantar on October 10,” CJP founder and convener Abhijeet Dipke said in the statement. 

“And if the Delhi Police tries to stop us, wherever they stop us will become our Jantar Mantar. Ours will be a peaceful protest. We will walk on the path shown by Mahatma Gandhi.” 

Calling on people to join the march to preserve free and fair elections in the country, Dipke called it “a fight to save our democracy.”

The announcement follows a tense October 2, when Delhi Police detained more than 700 demonstrators, including former Delhi Chief Minister Atishi, from Jantar Mantar and surrounding areas, local media reported. 

Police had denied permission for the Delhi gathering and imposed Section 163 restrictions barring assemblies of more than five people.

The CJP-led gathering in Mumbai’s Shivaji Park also saw a huge turnout, including film actors and musicians, but did not face a similar violent crackdown from authorities. 

It is the latest flashpoint in a months-long movement that began as online satire in May and escalated into repeated street demonstrations, including a July 20 protest where Delhi Police used batons to disperse crowds. It led to the resignation of India’s then-Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in late July. 

https://p.dw.com/p/5NgnTSkip next section Welcome to our coverage10/03/2026October 3, 2026

Welcome to our coverage

Seerat Chabba

Hello! This is Seerat from DW’s Studio Delhi, bringing you the big news from India this weekend.

The Cockroach Janta Party is back for round two, calling for the resignation of India’s Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The movement’s leaders have announced that they will march to New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar on October 10, just weeks after CJP protests led to the resignation of India’s education minister.

Meanwhile, things are heating up in Japan as cricket archrivals India and Pakistan face off in the gold medal match at the Asian Games. India has posted a total of 211, setting up an uphill task for its neighbors. 

For these stories and more, follow our live blog.

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