CJP volunteers breach Jantar Mantar barriers, face detention
Cockroach Janta Party volunteers entered the barricaded Jantar Mantar protest area in Delhi on Tuesday morning, defying a decision to withdraw its designation as an authorised demonstration venue. Party founder Abhijeet Dipke said police detained those involved.
The group, led by CJP figures Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das, climbed an iron gate and a police barricade to reach the restricted location. Footage shared by Dipke showed activists carrying national flags, crossing the barriers and shouting slogans as officers attempted to stop them.
The flash protest came a day after Delhi Police announced that Jantar Mantar would no longer be among the capital's designated locations for demonstrations. The decision followed days of confrontation between police and CJP supporters seeking to gather there over alleged irregularities in electoral rolls.
Dipke identified Ranka, Das and fellow activist Ajinkya among those detained. His account was not accompanied by an immediate detailed police statement specifying the number held, the grounds for their detention or whether they had subsequently been released.
Video of the episode showed several protesters running beyond the gate while officers moved towards them. Some shouted “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” and “Inquilab Zindabad”. The footage captured the brief confrontation but did not establish how many people entered the area or how long the demonstration lasted.
“You cannot denotify the resistance,” Dipke wrote on X, directly challenging Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the change. He also argued that withdrawing Jantar Mantar's official status would not end demonstrations and said protest gatherings could emerge elsewhere across the country.
Delhi Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar's order replaced Jantar Mantar with three designated protest venues: Ramlila Ground, Burari Ground and CBD Ground in east Delhi. The decision followed recommendations from a committee constituted by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs to identify alternative locations for public demonstrations.
The change removes a prominent central Delhi venue from the list of officially approved sites. Protest organisers must now look to the newly specified grounds for events covered by the police designation, although the arrangements for permissions and security remain subject to applicable procedures.
The CJP rejected the decision on Monday, describing it as an arbitrary restriction on the right to protest. Its representatives sought clarity from police about permission for their proposed gatherings and questioned why Jantar Mantar had been withdrawn while their dispute with the authorities remained unresolved.
Police have maintained a substantial presence around Jantar Mantar since Saturday, when the CJP called for a demonstration demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Officers prevented protesters from entering the area, and several prominent organisers were taken into custody as security restrictions were imposed.
Ranka, Das and Dipke were among CJP leaders detained after arriving in Delhi on Saturday. Tuesday's appearance by Ranka and Das therefore marked another attempt by the organisation to demonstrate at the same location despite police restrictions and the newly announced change to approved venues.
The movement's protests centre on the special intensive revision of electoral rolls, which opposition parties and activists say risks excluding eligible voters. The Election Commission has defended its revision exercise as necessary to maintain accurate voter registers. Allegations of deliberate voter exclusion remain contested.
The dispute has also drawn participation from the opposition INDIA alliance, whose supporters marched through central Delhi on Monday seeking scrutiny of the electoral revision process. Security measures around sensitive locations have generated competing claims about the authorities' responsibility to maintain public order and citizens' freedom to assemble peacefully.
The police order followed consideration of alternative grounds by a Home Ministry committee. Ramlila Ground remains within central Delhi, while Burari Ground is in the north of the city and CBD Ground is in the eastern district of Shahdara. The greater distance of two venues from Parliament has prompted objections from protest organisers.
Jantar Mantar had been the focal point of CJP mobilisation before the revised designation. For organisers, its location near national institutions provided visibility; for police, large gatherings in the area have involved restrictions on access and movements around surrounding roads.
The revised order also partly amends an earlier police directive issued in 2022.
Tuesday's footage showed demonstrators waving flags after crossing the barriers, with police pursuing them around the entrance. Dipke shared the recording through his social media account alongside his assertion that the volunteers had been taken into custody.
The group, led by CJP figures Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das, climbed an iron gate and a police barricade to reach the restricted location. Footage shared by Dipke showed activists carrying national flags, crossing the barriers and shouting slogans as officers attempted to stop them.
The flash protest came a day after Delhi Police announced that Jantar Mantar would no longer be among the capital's designated locations for demonstrations. The decision followed days of confrontation between police and CJP supporters seeking to gather there over alleged irregularities in electoral rolls.
Dipke identified Ranka, Das and fellow activist Ajinkya among those detained. His account was not accompanied by an immediate detailed police statement specifying the number held, the grounds for their detention or whether they had subsequently been released.
Video of the episode showed several protesters running beyond the gate while officers moved towards them. Some shouted “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” and “Inquilab Zindabad”. The footage captured the brief confrontation but did not establish how many people entered the area or how long the demonstration lasted.
“You cannot denotify the resistance,” Dipke wrote on X, directly challenging Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the change. He also argued that withdrawing Jantar Mantar's official status would not end demonstrations and said protest gatherings could emerge elsewhere across the country.
Delhi Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar's order replaced Jantar Mantar with three designated protest venues: Ramlila Ground, Burari Ground and CBD Ground in east Delhi. The decision followed recommendations from a committee constituted by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs to identify alternative locations for public demonstrations.
The change removes a prominent central Delhi venue from the list of officially approved sites. Protest organisers must now look to the newly specified grounds for events covered by the police designation, although the arrangements for permissions and security remain subject to applicable procedures.
The CJP rejected the decision on Monday, describing it as an arbitrary restriction on the right to protest. Its representatives sought clarity from police about permission for their proposed gatherings and questioned why Jantar Mantar had been withdrawn while their dispute with the authorities remained unresolved.
Police have maintained a substantial presence around Jantar Mantar since Saturday, when the CJP called for a demonstration demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Officers prevented protesters from entering the area, and several prominent organisers were taken into custody as security restrictions were imposed.
Ranka, Das and Dipke were among CJP leaders detained after arriving in Delhi on Saturday. Tuesday's appearance by Ranka and Das therefore marked another attempt by the organisation to demonstrate at the same location despite police restrictions and the newly announced change to approved venues.
The movement's protests centre on the special intensive revision of electoral rolls, which opposition parties and activists say risks excluding eligible voters. The Election Commission has defended its revision exercise as necessary to maintain accurate voter registers. Allegations of deliberate voter exclusion remain contested.
The dispute has also drawn participation from the opposition INDIA alliance, whose supporters marched through central Delhi on Monday seeking scrutiny of the electoral revision process. Security measures around sensitive locations have generated competing claims about the authorities' responsibility to maintain public order and citizens' freedom to assemble peacefully.
The police order followed consideration of alternative grounds by a Home Ministry committee. Ramlila Ground remains within central Delhi, while Burari Ground is in the north of the city and CBD Ground is in the eastern district of Shahdara. The greater distance of two venues from Parliament has prompted objections from protest organisers.
Jantar Mantar had been the focal point of CJP mobilisation before the revised designation. For organisers, its location near national institutions provided visibility; for police, large gatherings in the area have involved restrictions on access and movements around surrounding roads.
The revised order also partly amends an earlier police directive issued in 2022.
Tuesday's footage showed demonstrators waving flags after crossing the barriers, with police pursuing them around the entrance. Dipke shared the recording through his social media account alongside his assertion that the volunteers had been taken into custody.