CJP LEADERS ALLEGE DIGITAL TAMPERING AND EVIDENCE-PLANTING RISK AFTER DELHI CUSTODY
October 11, 2026
Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leaders Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das have accused the authorities of compromising their mobile phones and warned that material could potentially be planted on their devices and later presented as evidence against the organisation. The allegations were made at a press briefing in New Delhi on Sunday, hours after the two leaders were released by an executive magistrate’s court following their detention ahead of the party’s proposed protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Das alleged that Delhi Police seized their phones without providing a seizure memo and detained them without issuing formal detention notices. He also claimed that they had not been allowed to contact their lawyers during the period of detention. The CJP leaders expressed suspicion that their devices might have been hacked or cloned, raising concerns about possible misuse of digital information. These allegations were made by the leaders and have not been independently established.
Das further accused the government of creating an atmosphere of fear resembling the Emergency imposed in 1975. He alleged that the authorities were attempting to protect Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar from scrutiny and questioned why Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah were allegedly shielding the election chief. The party has demanded accountability over its allegations concerning electoral-roll revision and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.
The press briefing followed the detention of CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke and party leaders Ranka and Das aboard a flight after it landed in Delhi on Saturday. They had been travelling to participate in the proposed demonstration demanding Kumar’s resignation. The leaders alleged that police personnel entered the aircraft and detained them forcibly, describing the operation as an attempt to prevent the protest from taking place.
A Delhi executive magistrate’s court ordered the release of all three CJP leaders on Sunday after a ₹50,000 bail bond-cum-surety bond was furnished, with a condition that they maintain peace and good behaviour for one year. Following his release, Dipke left for Maharashtra to be with his family after the death of his grandmother.
Ranka also criticised the manner in which police personnel informed Dipke about the bereavement. He alleged that officers surrounded Dipke with cameras and microphones while conveying the news, turning a moment of personal grief into a public spectacle. Ranka described the alleged conduct as insensitive and shameful.
The CJP’s accusations have added another dimension to the confrontation surrounding the proposed demonstration, which was called over allegations of electoral irregularities and demands for the chief election commissioner’s resignation. Delhi Police has separately registered more than 20 first information reports in connection with attempts to hold the October 10 protest, citing alleged disturbances to public order, obstruction of government work and assaults on police personnel.
The latest allegations by the CJP leadership place the handling of detainees, protection of seized electronic devices and access to legal counsel under scrutiny. However, the claims of phone cloning, hacking and potential evidence planting remain allegations by the party, with no independent confirmation presented in the reported briefing.
