India
Delhi Police has registered a First Information Report (FIR) against Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leaders Saurav Das, Ashutosh Ranka and other party members for allegedly trespassing into the Jantar Mantar protest site without authorisation. The action came hours after the CJP representatives were detained for entering the heavily barricaded venue and raising slogans demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.
According to reports, Das, Ranka and the party’s national organisation in-charge, Ajinkya Shinde, entered the premises by climbing over the locked gates. A video shared by Ranka on X showed the three CJP members scaling the barricades and entering the site before police personnel intervened and detained them.
Following his detention, Das said on X that he and the others had been taken to Jaffarpur Police Station. The incident unfolded less than 24 hours after Delhi Police announced that Jantar Mantar would no longer remain a designated protest site.
Jantar Mantar Denotified As Protest Site, Three Alternative Venues Named
Delhi Police denotified Jantar Mantar as an authorised protest location on Monday, according to a police circular. The order also identified three alternative venues across the national capital for public demonstrations.
The circular stated that the Ministry of Home Affairs had constituted a committee to examine suitable alternative locations for citizens to exercise their right to organise protests and demonstrations. The designated alternatives are Ramlila Ground, Burari Ground and CBD Ground in Shahdara.
The decision has drawn a sharp response from CJP leaders, who have challenged the removal of Jantar Mantar’s status as a designated protest venue.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke criticised the decision in a post on X, declaring that the move would not prevent demonstrations and that the entire country would become Jantar Mantar.
“They have removed Jantar Mantar as a designated protest site. Yes, it’s no a longer protest site as anyway it was turned into a war zone by the coward dictator. Ab poora desh Jantar Mantar banega!” Dipke wrote, using the Hindi phrase to mean that the entire country would become Jantar Mantar.
‘You Cannot Denotify The Resistance’: CJP Founder Reacts
Following the detention of Das, Ranka and Shinde, Dipke posted another message on X, saying the party’s members had entered the venue before being taken into police custody.
“Cockroaches with the Tiranga sneaked into Jantar Mantar early this morning before they were picked up by Delhi Police,” he wrote.
In another post, Dipke declared, “You cannot denotify the resistance,” reiterating the party’s opposition to the withdrawal of Jantar Mantar’s status as a designated protest site.
Das also shared a video on Instagram after his detention, claiming that the group had successfully entered the premises.
“We have breached Jantar Mantar,” Das said in the video.
Ranka, meanwhile, reiterated the party’s demand for Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation, asserting that the demand would continue to be raised at Jantar Mantar.
“The resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar will happen from Jantar Mantar only, no matter what,” Ranka said.
Das subsequently described the entry as a reclaiming of the protest site. “In less than 24 hours of Jantar Mantar being denotified as a designated protest site, we reclaimed it,” he wrote on X.
“This is a message to the government – hands off people’s Jantar Mantar! Gyanu’s time is over,” he added.
CEC Gyanesh Kumar Faces Renewed Opposition Criticism
The latest confrontation comes amid renewed political attention surrounding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Jantar Mantar had returned to the spotlight in recent weeks following an investigative news report that raised questions about alleged electoral irregularities and revived Opposition allegations of “vote chori”, or vote theft.
The allegations have also been linked to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, which has become a point of contention in the wider political debate over electoral processes.
The CJP members’ demand for Kumar’s resignation formed the backdrop to their entry into the barricaded premises. However, the FIR against the party members concerns the alleged unauthorised entry into the site.
With Delhi Police naming Ramlila Ground, Burari Ground and CBD Ground as alternative locations for demonstrations, the denotification of Jantar Mantar has opened a fresh dispute over the venue for public protests in the capital.
The police action against the CJP leaders and the party’s public response have brought the issue into sharper focus, with the group maintaining that the removal of the venue’s designated status will not stop its campaign.
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