NEW DELHI: Hours before the Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP) planned demonstration could begin on Saturday, police action against its leaders and supporters was already under way, with multiple detentions across Delhi and beyond.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, co-convenor Saurav Das and party leader Ashutosh Ranka were detained from inside the flight after the Mumbai flight landed. Dhruv Rathee was also detained at his Gurugram residence, while CJP legal team head Ratna Singh alleged that she and three other lawyers had been detained ahead of the protest. Police also detained people attempting to reach the Jantar Mantar, with reports of action near Janpath and other parts of the capital.
Over 1,600 detained Over 1600 people have been detained across Delhi as a preventive measure ahead of the CJP protest, as authorities stepped up security and moved to prevent the gathering from taking place. More than 400 members of the Students' Federation of India (SFI) were detained in Delhi on Saturday after they began marching towards Jantar Mantar around 10 am, SFI national president Adarsh M Saji told PTI.
SFI also alleged that police personnel visited HKS Surjeet Bhawan on Friday night to search for people planning to attend the protest. The building houses the SFI Central Executive Committee office. Several lawyers marching from the Supreme Court towards Jantar Mantar were also detained on Bhagwan Das Road after being stopped at police barricades. The protesters raised slogans and carried posters demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's resignation. A lawyer said police had allowed them to march for around 100 yards before stopping them.
CPI(M) general secretary M A Baby, senior party leader Brinda Karat and other CPI(M) leaders were also detained at Jantar Mantar amid the police action against protesters. Separately, Tushar Gandhi, great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, was detained ahead of a protest in Mumbai in support of the CJP's agitation at Jantar Mantar, extending the demonstrations and police action beyond the national capital.
The crackdown also extended beyond the national capital, with people travelling to Delhi for the demonstration reportedly intercepted at railway stations in Madhya Pradesh. At least 14 students travelling from Pune were detained at Itarsi after being taken off the Goa Express on Friday. Four CJP volunteers from Telangana had also been detained at Bhopal railway station on October 8 while travelling to Delhi for the protest.
The demonstration was called by CJP to demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Delhi Police had denied permission for the proposed gathering, citing security and procedural concerns. The detentions and restrictions on movement have raised questions about the extent of preventive police action ahead of a planned demonstration. The exact number of CJP supporters detained across Delhi and other states remains unclear, with reported figures covering different locations and categories of people.
CJP, student leaders condemn detentions CJP condemned the detentions, calling them an attempt to prevent its leaders from joining the protest. Founder Abhijeet Dipke criticised the police action at Delhi airport, calling it “dictatorship” after he and two other party leaders were detained.
CJP co-convenor Saurav Das also hit back, saying, “Not few. A storm is coming,” in response to reports of protesters being stopped ahead of the demonstration. The party demanded the release of those detained and said the movement would continue. AISA president Neha Bora accused the authorities of undermining democratic values amid the detentions ahead of the CJP protest. “We have shown the world that a dictator hides behind the mask of democracy,” she said, criticising the police action against protesters.
