Delhi minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Kapil Mishra on Tuesday, October 20, set fire to a 30-foot-tall cockroach effigy at a Dussehra celebration in Pitampura, where it was burnt alongside the traditional effigies of Ravana, Kumbhkaran and Meghnad.
The effigy was introduced by the Shri Keshav Ramlila Committee in NSP Pitampura, whose president is BJP MLA Ashok Goel. Its inclusion in the Dussehra celebrations drew criticism from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which accused Mishra and the organisers of hurting religious sentiments.
Speaking to the Press Trust of India (PTI), Mishra said the cockroach symbolised what he described as an alliance of “filth, naxalites, jihadi and the corrupt” conspiring against India. He alleged that the group wanted to create a situation similar to that in France.
“The effigy of cockroaches is burning but the pain is being felt by termites,” Mishra said.
Earlier on Tuesday, AAP filed a complaint against Mishra and the organisers of the Ramlila event with Delhi Lieutenant Governor T.S. Sandhu and the Delhi Police.
In the complaint, AAP Delhi president Saurabh Bharadwaj argued that Dussehra, also known as Vijayadashami, is a sacred festival rooted in Hindu religious traditions. He said the burning of effigies is traditionally associated with mythological figures representing evil in the Ramayana and alleged that introducing an insect-themed effigy altered established customs and hurt Hindu religious sentiments.
The episode comes amid protests demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and the deletion of voters’ names. The BJP-led Union government has faced mounting criticism over the exercise.
The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), which staged an extended protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar in June and July, has also been campaigning against Kumar. Its leaders Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das are currently in jail in connection with the protests.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke responded to the effigy burning by thanking the organisers on social media for giving the party “free publicity”.
Mishra has previously faced allegations over his role in the February 2020 Northeast Delhi riots. In April 2024, a Delhi court ordered the registration of a first information report (FIR) against him in connection with the violence.
A fact-finding team constituted by the Delhi Minorities Commission had described the riots as “planned and targeted” and held Mishra responsible in its report on the violence.
This article was prepared with AI assistance and is based on information available in the public domain.
