CJP’s Abhijeet Dipke, Ashutosh Ranka, Saurav Das detained at Delhi airport ahead of protest

Cockroach Janata Party founder Abhijeet Dipke and members Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were detained at Delhi airport ahead of their planned Jantar Mantar protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the electoral rolls revision process.

New Delhi: Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke and party members Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were detained at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport upon arrival ahead of the planned protest at Jantar Mantar, police said on Saturday.

Delhi Police personnel entered the aircraft carrying Dipke after it landed at IGI Airport.

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Dipke posted a video showing the Delhi Police team entering the aircraft as he and the other CJP members, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, were detained on board.

In the video posted on his social media handle, Dipke was heard telling the police, “…I have come here to be arrested; arrest me.”

The CJP announced the detentions in a post on its social media handle, stating: “Abhijeet Dipke DETAINED! Saurav Das DETAINED! Ashutosh Ranka DETAINED!”

They were detained ahead of the CJP’s proposed protest at Jantar Mantar later in the day against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the country.

Dipke had left Mumbai for Delhi earlier in the morning to lead the protest against CEC Gyanesh Kumar.

Earlier in the morning, YouTuber Dhruv Rathee was also detained at his residence in Gurugram by the city police ahead of the planned protest at Jantar Mantar.

Rathee had attended a protest against the SIR of electoral rolls in Bengaluru on Thursday.

The reported detentions come as Delhi Police remains on high alert ahead of the CJP’s proposed protest at Jantar Mantar, with security tightened across the national Capital.

Meanwhile, vehicles are being checked at Delhi’s borders, while police personnel have been equipped with body cameras to record any untoward incidents during the demonstration.

Security arrangements have also been strengthened at the residences of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi.

Drone surveillance is being conducted at key locations, while several Metro stations, including Supreme Court and Mandi House, have been closed as part of the security measures.