CJP protest: Over 200 detained as marches defy curbs

Delhi detained more than 200 protesters on Sunday as they marched toward Jantar Mantar and raised slogans. The protest called by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) entered its second day amid heavy security deployment across the capital. Detentions continued into the evening, with people being picked up from various locations even after 6.30 pm.

The slogan travelled down Connaught Place’s Inner Circle in a steady rhythm: “Gyanesh Kumar isteefa do” (Gyanesh Kumar, resign). Then security personnel began moving towards the marchers. Several who resisted were held by the arms and pulled towards waiting buses. Some were dragged along the road. Others kept shouting as they were taken into custody.

The capital looked different from the day before. Traffic diversions had come into force from 6 am around Jantar Mantar, Connaught Place, Mandi House and Patel Chowk, among 30 points listed in a traffic police advisory. On Saturday, authorities closed the entry and exit gates at 45 Metro stations.

On Sunday, all stations reopened, and trains ran on schedule. Train and bus services were normal. Shops in the markets remained open, though fewer customers came through. The three CJP leaders detained on the aircraft at Delhi airport the day before were not at the protest site. Abhijeet Dipke, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were produced before an executive magistrate at Delhi Cantt police station that morning and released on the condition that they cause no breach of peace for a year. Dipke left for home for his grandmother’s last rites. Das and Ranka went to a press conference.

The day saw a series of flash protests. Different groups gathered at different places and times to try to reach Jantar Mantar. Connaught Place and RK Ashram Marg were among the main sites of demonstrations and detentions. By early afternoon, the marches had split into two groups. One group moved out of Connaught Place’s Inner Circle, and another from Rajiv Chowk. The marchers included members of the Students’ Federation of India (SFI), the All India Students’ Association (AISA), the Krantikari Yuva Sangathan (KYS) and CJP supporters.

AISA protesters marching from RK Ashram Marg Metro station were detained as police kept a heavy presence at several locations to stop demonstrators from reaching Jantar Mantar. AISA president Neha Bora was detained near Vijay Chowk in the afternoon. Visuals showed her raising slogans with other members as security personnel moved towards them. She was seen running as police pursued her, before a few officers blocked her path and caught hold of her.

Women police personnel grabbed her by the arms, while others held her arms and legs and dragged her away. She was also seen clinging to barricades as fellow protesters held on to her. She was eventually detained.

At Rajiv Chowk, the SFI said, its national president Adarsh M Saji, Delhi secretary Sooraj Elamon, Central Executive Committee member Abhijith Manilal and hundreds of members were attacked and detained. The organisation alleged that police took hundreds of its activists to Surajmal Stadium in Nangloi. It also alleged that its leaders were assaulted inside cage-like police vans. Student organisations and protesters described the detention vehicles as resembling small jails. They claimed the interiors were divided into compartments with latched partitions, and that the windows and doors were covered with mesh.

Videos shared by the CJP showed protesters trying to form human chains as police moved in. Police sources said CPI(M) Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas was among those detained. Police have not responded to that claim, according to available reports. The SFI further alleged that Father Biju Xavier, the vicar of Sacred Heart Church in Delhi, was “arrested” while recording alleged police violence on his mobile phone.

The SFI also organised a women’s march around 6.30 pm. It later alleged that several women protesters were detained from Connaught Place, and that their detention after 6 pm was illegal. It claimed female protesters were detained by male police personnel. In a series of posts, it alleged that several police vans and buses carrying detained women had no female police personnel inside.

Not every protest was on the road. Social media videos showed KYS members on boats near Nigambodh Ghat, holding posters and calling for the Chief Election Commissioner’s resignation. KYS members were also seen demonstrating near Connaught Place. The CJP said supporters had been detained near the Rajiv Chowk Metro station and at Gurdwara Bangla Sahib. It also alleged that doctors and other demonstrators protesting peacefully at the gurdwara were taken into custody.

The press was also caught up in the day. Several journalists covering the protests were detained despite showing press identification cards, according to social media visuals. They were seen showing their cards to officials as they were taken away. The Committee to Protect Journalists said at least six journalists were temporarily detained.

It asked Delhi Police to honour the Government’s assurance to the Supreme Court that journalists would not be impeded.

CJP leaders to seek fresh date for Jantar Mantar protest

New Delhi: CJP co-convenor Ashutosh Ranka said on Sunday that he and other outfit leaders would approach Delhi Police on Monday to seek a date for a peaceful protest at Jantar Mantar, a day after Delhi airport detained three of its top leaders ahead of the planned demonstration in the capital.

In a post on X, Ranka said he, along with Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) co-convenor Saurav Das, legal head Ratna Singh and other leaders would visit the Parliament Street Police Station at 10 am on Monday to seek a date for the protest.

“Delhi Police can give us a date for Jantar Mantar in 24 hours, else the CJP will give another protest call,” Ranka said.

The CJP planned to protest at Jantar Mantar on Saturday, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in electoral rolls during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.

However, Delhi Police detained CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, Ranka and Das after their flight from Mumbai landed at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport on Saturday.

The leaders alleged that they were forcibly removed from the aircraft and taken into custody without being shown written grounds for their detention.

Their detention came amid extensive security arrangements and restrictions across the national capital ahead of the proposed demonstration, with the CJP accusing the authorities of preventing the protesters from reaching the designated protest site.

The three leaders were released on Sunday after an executive magistrate produced them. After their release, the trio alleged that their phones had been seized during detention, and that they were denied access to legal counsel, even as they vowed to continue their agitation.