Agencies | New Delhi:
Three leaders of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) — Saurav Das, Ashutosh Ranka and Ajinkya Shinde — were detained by Delhi Police early Tuesday after attempting to stage a protest at Jantar Mantar, a day after the site was de-notified as a designated protest venue.
A video shared by CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke on social media showed some party volunteers jumping over a gate while carrying flags to enter the area and stage a demonstration. The protesters raised slogans, including “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” and “Inquilab Zindabad”, as police personnel attempted to stop them.
In a social media post, Dipke challenged the decision to withdraw Jantar Mantar’s status as a designated protest site, writing that the party would not allow the move to stop its demonstrations.
CJP also issued a statement describing the action as an attempt to reclaim the venue. Das, meanwhile, posted visuals of the protest and said he had been detained shortly after arriving at the site with a group of people.
The protest followed the party’s opposition to the Delhi Police decision to de-notify Jantar Mantar as a designated protest venue. On Monday, CJP co-convener Saurav Das had termed the move “unacceptable”, alleging that the decision was arbitrary.
Dipke also criticised the government, asserting that changing the designated protest venue would not deter the party from continuing its agitation.
According to the report, a standing order issued by Delhi Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar on October 11 withdrew Jantar Mantar’s designated status and identified Ramlila Maidan, Burari Ground and CBD Ground in East Delhi as alternative venues for protests.
The latest detention comes amid a series of confrontations between CJP leaders and Delhi Police over the party’s proposed demonstration at Jantar Mantar.
The party had planned to protest on Saturday, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in electoral rolls during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, along with Ranka and Das, was detained by Delhi Police after their flight from Mumbai landed at Indira Gandhi International Airport on Saturday.
The leaders alleged that they were forcibly removed from the aircraft and detained without being shown written grounds for their detention. The party also accused authorities of preventing its members from reaching the proposed protest venue.
The three leaders were released on Sunday after being produced before an executive magistrate. Following their release, they alleged that their phones had been seized and that they had been denied access to legal counsel.
CJP has vowed to continue its agitation against the de-notification of Jantar Mantar, maintaining that the decision would not stop its protests.
