CJP Leaders Detained After Entering Barricaded Jantar Mantar

Delhi Police detained 14 members of the Cockroach Janta Party on Tuesday after they entered the Jantar Mantar site despite barricades. The group included co-convenors Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka and national organisation in-charge Ajinkya Shinde. They climbed over a locked iron gate near the Janata Dal (United) office premises, raised slogans and waved the Indian national flag before police took them into custody.

The action followed the Delhi Police decision, announced on Monday, to remove Jantar Mantar from the list of designated protest venues. Three alternative sites were named: Ramlila Ground, Burari Ground and CBD Ground in East Delhi. The change came after recommendations from a committee formed by the Union Home Ministry. CJP had given police a 24-hour ultimatum to allot a date for a protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.

CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said the members had sneaked into the site early in the morning and that the resistance could not be denotified. Das posted that Jantar Mantar had been reclaimed and that they were being detained. Ranka said the fortress had been breached. The party has demanded Kumar’s resignation over alleged irregularities in voter lists. Earlier detentions of CJP leaders and opposition figures, including former chief ministers, occurred on 10 October when police prevented a larger gathering from reaching the site.

Police sources told The Indian Express that the 14 people used a narrow lane to reach the JD(U) office and then climbed the gate. Officials are considering whether to register an FIR. Das and Ranka had been released on Sunday after 24 hours of preventive detention, subject to a condition that they would not disturb public peace for one year. Their re-detention on Tuesday followed the attempt to reassert access to the traditional protest venue.

Jantar Mantar has hosted major demonstrations for decades. Its removal as a designated site has drawn criticism from opposition parties that describe the move as an attempt to restrict public assembly. The CJP has framed its actions as a defence of the right to protest at a historically recognised location. Delhi Police have not issued a detailed public statement on the Tuesday detentions beyond confirming that the individuals were taken into custody for entering a restricted area.

No charges have been announced. The leaders have not been produced in court as of Tuesday evening. The dispute over electoral rolls and the status of Jantar Mantar continues, with opposition parties planning further demonstrations at the newly designated grounds. The Special Intensive Revision process remains under legal challenge in several states.