New Delhi: Despite heavy barricading and tight security, protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar continue in Delhi. Beyond political parties, social organisations and students have also taken to the streets to protest against him. On Tuesday morning, leaders from the ‘Cockroach Janata Party’ (CJP) arrived at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar and began demonstrating.
As soon as the police got wind of the protest, they detained everyone involved. CJP leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were among those detained; both had arrived at Jantar Mantar with their supporters. A video of the incident is going viral on social media, having been shared by Ashutosh Ranka and the CJP themselves. In the video, Ranka and his supporters are seen waving flags and chanting slogans demanding Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation, while police are seen apprehending them.
What did Saurav Das say?
CJP leader Saurav Das stated, “We have entered Jantar Mantar, and now we are being detained! But this sends a message to the entire young generation: we can do this!” The CJP leaders arrived at Jantar Mantar at a time when the Delhi Police had removed the venue from the list of designated protest sites.
The CJP has expressed displeasure over this decision by the Delhi Police. Two months ago, the CJP had staged a protest at Jantar Mantar that led to the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan; a large number of protesters had gathered there at that time.
What did the CJP founder say?
CJP founder Abhijit Deepke remarked that Narendra Modi’s fear is evident from the fact that he removed Jantar Mantar from the list of protest sites. Deepke stated that while Modi might believe Jantar Mantar will no longer serve as a venue for protests and will shut down, that is not going to happen. Additionally, sharing a photograph of Ashutosh Ranka, Abhijit Deepke wrote, “Ashutosh Ranka waving the Tricolour at Jantar Mantar.” He also posted a salute emoji on X.
All CJP leaders were detained on October 10.
It is worth noting that the CJP had announced a protest in the capital, Delhi, for October 10. CJP leaders Deepke, Ranka, and Ashutosh, who had arrived in Delhi from Mumbai, were detained right at the airport. The police detained over 7,000 people from various locations.
Subsequently, everyone was released by the police. Now, the CJP is preparing its next course of action. On October 12, CJP leaders Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das visited the Parliament Street police station in Delhi and requested a date for the protest.
