Delhi and Gurugram police detained several prominent figures on Saturday, before a protest called by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) could begin at Jantar Mantar. The protest demands the resignation of the Election Commission of India chief over alleged voter-roll irregularities. The detainees included CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, CJP members Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, Germany-based YouTuber Dhruv Rathee, and AISA national president Neha Bora.
Three CJP leaders taken off a flight
A Delhi Police team boarded the aircraft in which Dipke had landed in Delhi on Saturday morning. Dipke had left Mumbai that morning to lead the protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. He streamed the episode live on Instagram, and the footage showed CJP members arguing with officers about why they could not wait until passengers had disembarked.
Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were detained from the flight itself, alongside Dipke. In a statement, the CJP condemned the “authoritarian detention” of all three. Dipke said CJP leaders were being treated as if they were criminals.
Rathee picked up in Gurugram
Earlier that morning, Rathee was detained at his residence in Gurugram’s Sector 56. Police said Gurugram and Delhi teams had asked him not to travel to the capital for a protest that had no permission, and that he was detained after he did not heed those requests. Rathee had recently posted a video urging people to join the demonstration. The CJP called his detention high-handed.
AISA’s Neha Bora also detained
Delhi Police also detained AISA national president Neha Bora ahead of the planned CJP protest at Jantar Mantar on Saturday. In a message after her detention, she told supporters that the movement would continue even though she was in custody. Saturday was not her first detention in recent days. On October 4, she was detained and taken to Narela police station, and AISA said her phone and bag were seized. Delhi Police denied that claim. She has also demanded the resignation of Delhi Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar, alleging police brutality against students and youth during the CJP-organised Sansad Chalo march.
Students, lawyers and supporters also held
The detentions went well beyond the leadership. One report put the number of protesters detained at more than 500. Another outlet reported that around 2,000 people were detained as a precautionary measure in Delhi. Members of the Students’ Federation of India and a number of lawyers were also reported detained ahead of the protest. With the three CJP leaders in custody, Dipke said Ajinkya Shinde would lead the Jantar Mantar protest.
Arvind Kejriwal said the situation was worse than the Emergency.
Police say the protest had no permission, which is the stated basis for the pre-emptive detentions. The CJP, AISA and their supporters describe the action as an attempt to suppress dissent. Detention figures range from over 500 to around 2,000 depending on the outlet, and I could not find a complete list of everyone held, so only the names confirmed in early reports appear here. It is also unclear when those detained will be released or whether any charges will follow.
