New Delhi, Oct 14 Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leaders Ashutosh Ranka, Saurav Das and Ajinkya Shinde have been put under preventive arrest for allegedly entering the Jantar Mantar area without authorisation, officials said on Wednesday.
The three were detained early Tuesday after they allegedly breached barricades and entered the protest site, which was recently denotified as a designated venue for demonstrations, and raised slogans demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation.
Police have registered a case against them on charges including trespassing, violation of prohibitory orders, breach of a peace bond and obstructing a public servant from discharging official duties, sources said.
Ranka and Das had signed a bond to maintain peace for a year after they were detained on Saturday during a previous protest in the national capital, officials said.
The three are likely to be produced before the Special Court of the Executive Magistrate (SEM) later in the morning, sources said.
The arrests come amid heightened security in the national capital following a series of protests by the CJP and other organisations against alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
On October 11, Delhi Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar issued an order designating Ramlila Maidan, Burari Ground and CBD Ground as venues for protests and demonstrations, following which Jantar Mantar was denotified as a designated protest site.
The CJP has criticised the move, arguing that shifting demonstrations away from the political centre of the national capital would weaken the visibility of public dissent.
(PTI News)
