Cockroach effigy at Delhi Ramlila event triggers queries; organisers say promoting cleanliness

left Security personnel in riot gear stand guard outside the Election Commission office ahead of a planned protest demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar in New Delhi.

File AP AP https://th-i.thgim.com/public/incoming/c9b7l/article71599315.ece/alternates/FREE_1200/11TH_OPED1_G6KGGF9GLAADF.3.jpg.jpg MANISH SWARUP Security personnel in riot gear stand guard outside the Election Commission office ahead of a planned protest demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar in New Delhi, India, Saturday, Oct.

10, 2026. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup) Shree Keshav Ram Leela Committee president Ashok Goel said the 30-foot effigy symbolises filth and is unrelated to the Cockroach Janta Party, as social media users question the timing New Delhi A 30-foot effigy of a cockroach is to be burnt alongside those of Ravan, Meghnad and Kumbhkaran at a Ramlila event in the capital on Sunday (October 18, 2026), prompting some social media users to question its propriety at a religious celebration, even as organisers maintain the initiative aims to promote cleanliness.