New Delhi: Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were detained by Delhi Police on Tuesday after they and a group of party volunteers entered Jantar Mantar to protest against the Centre’s decision to remove the location from the list of designated protest sites.
The protesters climbed an iron gate and crossed police barricades to reach the area, carrying party flags and raising slogans including “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” and “Inquilab Zindabad”. Police personnel stationed at the site attempted to stop the group before detaining the demonstrators and taking them away.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke shared a video of the protest and criticised the decision to denotify Jantar Mantar. Declaring that resistance could not be stopped through administrative orders, he said the move would not prevent people from taking to the streets.
Dipke also claimed that the decision reflected the Centre’s apprehension about public protests. He asserted that removing Jantar Mantar from the list of designated venues would not end demonstrations and predicted that similar protest sites would emerge across the country.
Jantar Mantar, located in the high security zone of central Delhi, had long served as a designated venue for demonstrations and sit-ins. Following a review by a committee under the Union Home Ministry, three alternative locations have been identified for protests in the national capital: Ramlila Ground, Burari Ground and CBD Ground in east Delhi.
The decision comes amid demonstrations by Opposition parties under the INDIA bloc and CJP supporters over the controversy surrounding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Delhi Police has tightened security around Jantar Mantar since October 10, preventing protesters from entering the area. The CJP had called for a demonstration at the site that day, but senior leaders Abhijeet Dipke, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were detained after arriving in Delhi.
Thousands of protesters were detained over the weekend as demonstrations spread across parts of the capital, accompanied by a major police deployment and restrictions on gatherings.
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