Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) spokespersons Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, along with members of their team, were detained by Delhi Police on October 13 after allegedly climbing over the gates and entering Jantar Mantar while waving the Indian national flag.
Following their detention, Das and Ranka went live on Instagram from inside a police bus, reiterating the party’s demand for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. They insisted that Jantar Mantar was a designated protest site and questioned the authorities’ action against them.
“Who is the home minister to snatch Jantar Mantar from us? Jantar Mantar is a designated protest site,” Das said during the live broadcast. Holding up a copy of the Constitution, he asserted that the Constitution supported their right to protest.
The incident comes amid heightened security in the national capital following several days of unrest linked to the CJP-led movement. Earlier this month, police deployed thousands of personnel and imposed transport restrictions in parts of central Delhi to prevent large gatherings associated with the protests.
The party has been demanding Kumar’s resignation over the revision of electoral rolls, alleging that the exercise disproportionately benefits the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The allegation has not been accepted by the government.
Tuesday’s detention follows a series of arrests connected to the movement. CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, several senior party leaders and YouTuber Dhruv Rathee were among those detained around October 10. They were subsequently released following court orders.