CJP Leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka Detained After Jumping Jantar Mantar Gate to Protest
‘Resistance Cannot Be Denotified’: CJP Founder Abhijeet Dipke Challenges Centre’s Decision to Remove Jantar Mantar as Designated Protest Site
Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were detained by Delhi Police on Tuesday morning after allegedly jumping a gate and a police barricade to stage a protest at Jantar Mantar.
The incident occurred a day after the Centre withdrew Jantar Mantar’s designation as an authorised protest site. A group of CJP volunteers, led by Das and Ranka, reached the location early Tuesday and attempted to enter the restricted area to demonstrate against the decision.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke shared a video of the protest on social media. The footage purportedly shows Ranka, Das and several party volunteers carrying flags as they climb over an iron gate and enter the area. The protesters raised slogans of “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” and “Inquilab Zindabad” as police personnel attempted to stop them.
A brief confrontation reportedly took place between the protesters and the police before the demonstrators were detained and taken away, Dipke said in his post. Challenging the Centre’s decision, Dipke declared, “Resistance cannot be denotified.”
Reacting to the removal of Jantar Mantar from the list of designated protest sites, he alleged that the decision reflected the government’s fear of public demonstrations. He further asserted that protests would continue and that similar protest centres would emerge across the country.
Jantar Mantar, located in the high-security central Delhi area, had long served as a designated venue for protests and demonstrations. Following the Centre’s decision, the location will no longer be used for that purpose.
Three alternative venues have been finalised for protests and sit-ins in the national capital based on recommendations from a committee under the Union Home Ministry. These are Ramlila Ground, Burari Ground and CBD Ground in east Delhi.
The development comes amid demonstrations by the opposition INDIA bloc and CJP in central Delhi against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) controversy.
Delhi Police has strengthened security at Jantar Mantar since October 10 and has reportedly prevented protesters from entering the area.
CJP had called for a demonstration at Jantar Mantar on October 10. According to the party, its senior leaders Abhijeet Dipke, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were detained inside their flight after arriving in Delhi that morning.
Thousands of protesters were reportedly detained on Saturday and Sunday as demonstrations and police crackdowns unfolded across the national capital.
