CJP leaders arrested after entering Jantar Mantar to protest alleged electoral-roll irregularities

Three Cockroach Janata Party leaders were arrested after crossing police barricades and entering Jantar Mantar to protest alleged electoral-roll irregularities. The party’s legal affairs head said they faced multiple charges and claimed they were denied access to their lawyers.

New Delhi: Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) leaders Saurav Das, Ashutosh Ranka and Ajinkya Shinde have been arrested, said the CJP’s legal affairs head Ratna Singh on Wednesday, after the three tried to trespass at Jantar Mantar.

Singh said that Das, Ranka and Shinde were booked for “trespass, bond violation, obstruction of public official’s duty, etc”.

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“They’ll be produced before the SCM Court in the morning. A possibility of Judicial Custody (JC) in the Tihar Jail is possible,” Ratna Singh posted on X.

She further claimed that the leaders were not allowed to meet their lawyers till late at night.

“They were brought to Parliament Street PS at 3 a.m. in a private van. Despite these illegal actions, their spirits are high,” she added.

The three CJP leaders were detained on Tuesday morning for crossing police barricades and entering Jantar Mantar, which has been de-notified as the designated protest site.

They were heading to protest against the Election Commission of India (ECI) over the alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Review (SIR) of electoral rolls. They were seen raising slogans against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, while trying to breach the police barricades.

Following this, all three were detained.

On October 12, Jantar Mantar was de-notified as the “designated” protesting site, Delhi Police said. New guidelines for protests were issued under Delhi Police Standing Order No. L&O/48/2026.

According to the Delhi Police, the decision was taken based on the recommendations of a Home Ministry committee.

“Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, had constituted a Committee to examine alternative proper venues for citizens’ right for organising protest/demonstrations in place of the existing ‘designated site’,” read the official statement.

“Based on the Committee’s recommendations, Jantar Mantar as a protest venue has been de-notified,” it further read.

Three new locations in Delhi — Ramlila Ground, Burari Ground and East Delhi’s CBD Ground — have been designated for protests.

“Detailed and revised SOP for organising protest/demonstrations at these three venues will be issued separately. This is in partial modification of earlier Standing Order No. L&O/48/22 dated 28.04.2022,” the statement read.