Delhi Police Detain CJP Leaders as Jantar Mantar Remains Closed to Protests
Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were detained after attempting to enter the former protest site. A petition challenging the de-notification of Jantar Mantar is before the courts, and the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear related pleas.
New Delhi2 min read
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Delhi Police detained Cockroach Janta Party leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka on Tuesday after they entered the area of Jantar Mantar, which authorities de-notified as a designated protest site earlier in the week. The detentions form part of a continuing security operation that has restricted access to the traditional protest location since the start of demonstrations calling for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
The CJP has organised protests over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls and related Form 6 issues. Large-scale deployments, barricades and preventive detentions have prevented large gatherings at Jantar Mantar itself. Protesters have instead held smaller flash demonstrations at other locations in central Delhi, including Dilli Haat, Connaught Place and near metro stations. Police have reported hundreds of detentions across multiple days, with some earlier counts exceeding several thousand people temporarily held and later released.
On 11 October Delhi Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar issued a standing order that removed Jantar Mantar from the list of designated protest sites and named three alternative venues: Ramlila Ground, Burari Ground and CBD Ground in East Delhi. The order cited recommendations from a committee constituted by the Union Home Ministry. A petition challenging the restrictions and the de-notification has been filed in the Supreme Court. The Delhi High Court has also been asked to examine related pleas concerning protest permissions and alleged police action. The Supreme Court is expected to hear connected matters on 15 October.
Opposition parties have criticised the scale of the restrictions and the detentions. Some leaders have linked the protests to broader concerns about electoral processes. The Election Commission has not issued a detailed public response to the specific allegations raised by the CJP in the current round of demonstrations. BJP leaders have described the protests as poorly attended once the main site was secured.
Jantar Mantar has functioned for years as the principal designated location for public demonstrations in the capital. Earlier court rulings had recognised its role while also upholding the need for regulation of numbers and conduct. The current de-notification shifts the formal venues farther from the central government district. Whether the alternative grounds can accommodate the volume and visibility that protesters seek will be tested if and when permissions are granted for those sites.
For the CJP the immediate practical result is that its leaders have been detained when they attempted to reach or enter the old site, and that the organisation must either seek permission for the new venues or continue with dispersed actions. For the police the operation has succeeded in preventing a large continuous sit-in at Jantar Mantar. The legal challenges now before the high court and the Supreme Court will determine whether the de-notification and the accompanying standing order remain in force or are modified.
The verified elements are the de-notification order, the detention of named CJP leaders on 13 October, the existence of pending court petitions, and the scheduled Supreme Court hearing. No court has yet ruled on the legality of the new protest arrangements.
