New Delhi, Oct 13 Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were detained by police on Tuesday after they reached Jantar Mantar despite heavy barricading and a strong security presence, the CJP said.
In a post on X, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said other team members, including Ajinkya Shinde, had also been detained.
“Cockroaches with the Tiranga sneaked into Jantar Mantar early this morning before they were picked up by Delhi Police,” Dipke said.
He said Ranka, Das and Shinde, along with other team members, have been detained.
“You cannot denotify the resistance,” Dipke said, tagging Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Dipke also shared a video showing CJP members jumping over a gate to enter Jantar Mantar and raising slogans like “Bharat Mata ki Jai”.
Police personnel were seen rushing to grab them.
CJP members said they had entered Jantar Mantar to assert their right to protest at the designated site and demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
“Jantar Mantar has been breached. The resignation of Gyanesh Kumar will happen at Jantar Mantar. Do what you can,” Ranka said.
Das questioned the Home Ministry’s restrictions on access to the protest site, saying, “Who is the Home Ministry to take away our Jantar Mantar? This is the designated protest site, and we will get the resignation of Gyanesh Kumar from Jantar Mantar.”
Das also flashed a copy of the Constitution and said, “Constitution is with us.”
The CJP members raised slogans of “Bharat Mata ki Jai”, “Inquilab Zindabad” and “Jai Bhim”. They also recited the revolutionary poem “Sarfaroshi ki Tamanna” and raised slogans against the authorities.
In a statement, the CJP described its action as reclaiming Jantar Mantar, saying that its members had entered the heavily barricaded protest site and hoisted the Tricolour there.
“Fortress Jantar Mantar has been reclaimed,” said the statement.
The detentions come amid heightened security in New Delhi following protest calls given by different organisations against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.
Delhi Police has deployed a large number of personnel across the city to maintain law and order.
(PTI News)
