BJP leader burns cockroach effigy at Dussehra event in Delhi, AAP files complaint

Bharatiya Janata Party leader and Delhi minister Kapil Mishra set fire to a 30-foot cockroach effigy during Dussehra celebrations in Delhi’s Pitampura on Tuesday, October 20, alongside those of Ravan, Kumbhkaran and Meghnad. The move prompted the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to file a police complaint, alleging that it deliberately altered Hindu religious traditions and hurt religious sentiments.

The effigy was burnt at the DDA grounds in Netaji Subhash Place by the Shri Keshav Ramlila Committee, whose president is BJP MLA Ashok Goel Devraha. The organisers said the cockroach represented filth and unhygienic conditions and that burning it was intended to promote cleanliness and raise awareness about health problems associated with cockroaches. They denied that the decision had a political motive.

Kapil, who was the chief guest at the event, defended the decision and described the cockroach as a symbol of filth and chaos. He said those he called political “termites” were upset by the effigy being burnt.

“The cockroach effigy was burnt as a symbol of conspiracies against Bharat by an alliance of filth, naxalites, jihadi and the corrupt who think they can create a situation like France in India. People celebrated it. The effigy of a cockroach is burning, but the pain is being felt by termites,” Kapil told the Press Trust of India.

The AAP filed a complaint on Tuesday with Delhi Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu and the Delhi Police Commissioner, seeking the registration of an FIR against Kapil, Goel Devraha and other organisers. The complaint accused them of deliberately hurting religious sentiments, altering sacred Hindu traditions and attempting to incite enmity between communities.

In the complaint, AAP Delhi president Saurabh Bharadwaj argued that the burning of effigies during Dussehra was associated with specific mythological figures representing evil in the Ramayana. He alleged that adding an insect-themed effigy to the ritual distorted established customs and hurt the religious sentiments of Hindus.

Bharadwaj also sought the removal of photographs, videos and other promotional material related to the effigy from media and social media platforms. He said the party would approach the court if the police did not register an FIR.

The dispute has drawn attention because the cockroach has become the symbol of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), founded by Abhijeet Dipke. The party has been protesting against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, alleging irregularities in the voter-list revision exercise.

Abhijeet had earlier thanked the Ramlila organisers for giving the party “free publicity” by including the cockroach effigy in the Dussehra celebrations. CJP leaders Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das are currently in judicial custody following their detention over an alleged breach of peace bonds.

The effigy was burnt amid protests demanding Gyanesh Kumar’s removal over the SIR and alleged voter deletions. The CJP has been among the groups participating in the protests, with its leaders’ detentions drawing further attention to the party and its symbol.

Kapil Mishra has also faced allegations over his role in the 2020 Northeast Delhi riots. A Delhi court ordered the registration of an FIR against him in connection with the riots in April 2025. A fact-finding team formed by the Delhi Minorities Commission had previously described the violence as “planned and targeted” and held Kapil responsible for it.