FROM PROTEST BARRICADES TO TIHAR’s HIGH-SECURITY CELLS: COCKROACH JANTA PARTY LEADERS FACE FIVE DAYS IN JUDICIAL CUSTODY
October 15, 2026
NEW DELHI — Two senior leaders of the youth-led Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, have been lodged in separate cells at Delhi’s Tihar Jail after a court ordered five days of judicial custody following their protest at Jantar Mantar. Prison authorities have reportedly tightened security around the two leaders, citing concerns about their safety inside the crowded prison.
The arrests followed a confrontation at Jantar Mantar, which Delhi Police had recently removed from its list of designated protest venues. The CJP leaders had sought to demonstrate against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in electoral rolls and demand his resignation. They were detained after allegedly entering the restricted protest area without authorisation.
According to a prison official cited in reports, Das and Ranka have been kept in separate cells to reduce the risk of clashes, attacks or possible collusion with other inmates. Police personnel have reportedly been deployed around the clock to monitor their movements. Their cells have attached bathrooms, and their movement within the prison has been restricted as a precautionary measure.
Prison authorities have maintained that the two leaders are not receiving preferential treatment. They are being provided the same basic facilities available to other undertrial prisoners, including ordinary prison meals and blankets. Newspapers and television access have also reportedly been arranged inside their cells.
The official cited security concerns associated with newly admitted inmates, including the possibility of intimidation, threats and extortion. Tihar houses more than 14,000 prisoners, with undertrials accounting for roughly three-fourths of the population.
Despite the restrictions, a prison warden described Das and Ranka as well-behaved and spirited. The two reportedly interacted with jail officials after their arrival and said they were fighting to protect democracy.
Their judicial custody marks a sharp escalation in the confrontation surrounding the CJP’s campaign. The organisation has been demanding electoral reforms and challenging the decision to withdraw Jantar Mantar’s status as a designated protest site. The dispute has also prompted wider political criticism, with opposition figures questioning the detention of young protesters who had displayed the national flag.
The allegations against the two leaders concern their entry into the restricted area and related legal grounds. Their detention does not, by itself, establish guilt; the case remains subject to the legal process.
The episode has brought renewed attention to the balance between public-order restrictions and the right to peaceful political protest. For Das and Ranka, the immediate reality is five days in judicial custody under heightened security. For the CJP and its supporters, the arrests have become another flashpoint in the campaign over access to protest spaces and accountability in the electoral system.
