Three leaders of the Cockroach Janata Party Saurav Das, Ashutosh Ranka and Ajinkya Shinde have been placed under preventive arrest for trespassing at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi.
They were detained early on Tuesday after crossing police barricades, entering the area and raising slogans demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Police have booked them on charges including trespassing, bond violation and disruption of a public official’s duty.
The three are expected to be produced before a magistrate at Mandir Marg around 8 am. On a previous occasion they had been released after furnishing a bond of Rs 50,000 and undertaking not to be involved in any breach-of-peace cases for a year. This time they are being treated as repeat offenders for allegedly violating those bond conditions.
CJP legal team head Ratna Singh stated that the leaders were arrested at Parliament Street Police Station, were not allowed to meet their lawyers until late at night, and were brought to the station at 3 am in a private van. She indicated the possibility of judicial custody.
The arrests come amid ongoing protests by the CJP and other groups against alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. On October 11, Delhi Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar issued an order designating Ramlila Maidan, Burari Ground and CBD Ground as approved venues for protests and demonstrations, while removing Jantar Mantar from the list of permitted sites.
The CJP has opposed the decision, arguing that shifting demonstrations away from the centre of the capital would reduce the visibility and impact of public protests.
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