CJP BREACHES THE BARRICADE, RECLAIMS JANTAR MANTAR BRIEFLY AS DELHI POLICE DETAIN LEADERS AGAIN
October 13, 2026
The confrontation between the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and Delhi Police intensified on Tuesday after party chief spokesperson Saurav Das, national spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka and other members were detained at Jantar Mantar, following the organisation’s attempt to return to the historic protest venue despite its recent removal from Delhi’s list of designated demonstration sites.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke claimed that Das, Ranka, national organiser Ajinkya Shinde and several other party members had managed to enter Jantar Mantar carrying the national flag before police took them into custody. Delhi Police confirmed the detention of Das and Ranka after they arrived at the location.
The renewed confrontation followed the Delhi Police decision to withdraw Jantar Mantar’s status as an officially designated venue for demonstrations and replace it with three alternative locations: Ramlila Ground, Burari Ground and CBD Ground in East Delhi. The decision was taken after a committee constituted by the Union Home Ministry examined alternative locations for public gatherings.
The CJP, which has been demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in electoral-roll revision, has strongly opposed the decision to remove Jantar Mantar from the list of recognised protest venues. The party has argued that changing the designated location will not extinguish the right to peaceful assembly or end its campaign.
Das announced the group’s arrival at the site in a social media post, declaring that Jantar Mantar had been reclaimed before the members were detained. He described the action as a message to young people that their determination could overcome restrictions and urged supporters not to abandon the movement.
Dipke subsequently accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of believing that protests would cease once Jantar Mantar was no longer recognised as an authorised demonstration venue. Rejecting that premise, he warned that the campaign would spread to other parts of the country.
“You cannot denotify the resistance, Narendra Modi,” Dipke wrote, arguing that the government’s objection was not simply to a particular location but to protests themselves. He declared that “Jantar Mantars will now emerge across the country”, signalling the party’s intention to establish a wider network of demonstrations rather than confine its campaign to Delhi.
Speaking to reporters, Dipke reiterated that removing the venue’s official designation would not persuade the CJP to withdraw its demand for Kumar’s resignation. He portrayed the continued mobilisation as a struggle over the right to express dissent and challenge institutions through peaceful public demonstrations.
The dispute centres on the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The CJP and supporting opposition groups have alleged irregularities in the revision process and demanded greater transparency and accountability from the poll panel. The allegations remain contested, while the Election Commission and the BJP have rejected claims of deliberate electoral manipulation.
The police action on Tuesday marks another escalation after the detention of CJP leaders and supporters during earlier attempts to organise a demonstration at Jantar Mantar. The organisation has continued to challenge restrictions imposed on its gatherings, while authorities have maintained that demonstrations must take place at approved locations under prescribed public-order arrangements.
The latest detentions demonstrate that the disagreement over Jantar Mantar has moved beyond the question of where protests may be held. For the CJP, the venue has become a symbol of the broader right to public dissent; for the authorities, the relocation forms part of a revised framework for managing demonstrations in the capital.
With Das, Ranka and other members detained once again, the immediate confrontation remains unresolved. Dipke’s declaration that the movement will extend beyond Delhi signals that the CJP intends to continue its campaign against Kumar, while the dispute over designated protest sites raises further questions about how authorities will regulate future demonstrations and how protesters will respond to the new restrictions.
