India’s CJP Leaders Detained, Sent to 5 Days of Judicial Custody Following Delhi Protest
NEW DELHI, Oct 14 -- Two Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leaders, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, have been sent to five days of judicial custody after they allegedly entered the barricaded Jantar Mantar protest site in New Delhi, media reports said.
A third activist, Ajinkya Shinde, was released on personal bond after appearing in court Wednesday.
Three activists were arrested on Tuesday for allegedly climbing barricades to enter Jantar Mantar, which was recently delisted as a designated protest site in the capital. The group has been demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar for alleged irregularities in electoral rolls.
The police have charged the activists with trespassing, defying prohibitory orders, breaking a peace bond, and obstructing public officials. The charges were for the activists entering the restricted site and for their prior detention. Verify specific charges and the written order of the court before publishing.
The CJP raised objections against the authorities. Its leaders say the removal of Jantar Mantar from the list of approved protest sites will make demonstrations less visible and restrict protesters’ ability to attract public attention to their demands.
According to reports published on Wednesday, the Delhi authorities have identified Ramlila Maidan, Burari Ground, and CBD Ground as alternative venues for demonstrations.
Election commission under pressure
Alleged irregularities in the revision of electoral rolls have led the CJP to demand Kumar’s resignation. The Election Commission has dismissed the allegations. No one has proven the allegations to be true.
The campaign has used social media to organize protests and publicize its activities. On Tuesday, other members and CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke put out videos that appear to show Das and Ranka entering the Jantar Mantar site with the Indian flag and shouting slogans.
Following the arrests, Ratna Singh, who heads the group’s legal team, said the police denied the activists access to lawyers for several hours. She said they were also taken to Parliament Street Police Station in a private vehicle in the early hours of Wednesday. This report could not independently establish these claims based on the information available.
Those arrests came after another round of detentions over the weekend, when CJP leaders were taken into preventive custody ahead of planned demonstrations, only to be released later.
The movement's roots and bigger protests
The latest protests are part of a wider wave of demonstrations over changes to the electoral roll, unemployment, examination irregularities, and government accountability.
The CJP was founded as an online satirical movement after Chief Justice of India Surya Kant likened some unemployed youngsters and activists to cockroaches during a court hearing in May. According to contemporary media reports, Kant later said his comments were taken out of context.
Later, the group morphed into a pressure movement for youth concerns and public accountability.
The question will be what happens in the case as it progresses, what are the legal grounds for restricting access to Jantar Mantar and the recent arrests, and what are the next legal steps for the activists.
