New Delhi: Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke was detained by Delhi Police after arriving in the national capital on Saturday morning, hours before the party’s planned protest at Jantar Mantar against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Police personnel entered the Air India flight carrying Dipke and detained him along with fellow CJP members Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka. The incident unfolded inside the aircraft, where Dipke livestreamed the proceedings on Instagram.
The video showed a heated exchange between the CJP members and police personnel. Questioning why officers had entered the aircraft before passengers could disembark, Dipke challenged the personnel to arrest them, declaring that they were not afraid. The three leaders were subsequently taken from the airport to an undisclosed location.
Dipke had travelled from Mumbai to Delhi to lead the demonstration demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged electoral irregularities and concerns surrounding the SIR exercise.
CJP Condemns Detention of Its Leaders
The CJP condemned the detentions, alleging that the police action was intended to prevent its leadership from reaching the protest venue. The party described the incident as an infringement of freedom of movement and demanded the immediate release of Dipke, Das and Ranka.
The detentions came amid a wider security operation across Delhi. YouTuber Dhruv Rathee and CJP legal cell head Ratna Singh were also reportedly detained at their residences earlier in the day to prevent them from joining the demonstration.
Delhi Police had denied permission for the proposed Jantar Mantar protest on Friday, citing the short notice given for the gathering and concerns over maintaining public order.
Authorities had also detained more than 400 suspected protesters from different parts of the capital overnight as preparations intensified to prevent unauthorised gatherings.
Security Tightened Across the Capital
Delhi witnessed extensive security restrictions ahead of the planned mobilisation. Reports indicated that 45 Metro stations had been shut and several train services cancelled as authorities sought to restrict the movement of protesters towards the capital.
The Centre also deployed more than 20,000 personnel from the police and Central Armed Police Forces to maintain law and order.
The developments have intensified the confrontation between the CJP and authorities, with the party insisting on its right to protest against the electoral revision exercise while security agencies focus on preventing unauthorised demonstrations and potential disruptions across Delhi.
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