Agencies | New Delhi:
Leaders of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Sunday vowed to continue their protest against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, hours after three of the party’s leaders were released from detention in Delhi. The party also appealed to Opposition groups to join its agitation, alleging an “open emergency” in the country.
Addressing a press conference, CJP spokesperson Saurav Das criticised the police action against protesters on Saturday, claiming that “the whole of Delhi has been converted into a fortress”.
Das also raised concerns over the alleged seizure of party leaders’ mobile phones, saying they feared the devices might have been compromised. He alleged that the police action was intended to protect the Chief Election Commissioner, though he provided no evidence to substantiate the claim.
CJP legal team head Ratna Singh separately alleged that the Intelligence Bureau was tracking her. She also claimed that four policemen had visited her residence on Saturday.
The remarks came after CJP leaders Abhijeet Dipke, Ashutosh Ranka and Das were released earlier on Sunday. The trio had been detained by Delhi Police after arriving in the national capital from Mumbai aboard an Air India flight on Saturday, ahead of the party’s planned protest demanding action against the CEC. They were subsequently produced before an Executive Magistrate at Delhi Cantonment and released.
Welcoming their release, the CJP said in a social media post that the police had been forced to free the three leaders.
The party had organised Saturday’s demonstration over its allegations concerning Gyanesh Kumar. The protest was met with police action, with several political leaders and demonstrators detained. Those named in reports included AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal and former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
CJP leaders alleged that protesters had been forcibly removed and that the action curtailed their right to demonstrate. Reports cited by the party said more than 3,000 people were detained and later released.
Despite the detentions, the CJP has maintained that it will continue its agitation and urged Opposition parties to join the campaign against the Chief Election Commissioner. The allegations made by the party leaders were not independently verified in the information available.
