Indian Cockroach Janta Party Leaders Jailed Following Jantar Mantar Protest
Two Cockroach Janta Party leaders face five days in judicial custody after trespassing at New Delhi's Jantar Mantar protest site amid election tensions.
POLICY WIRE — New Delhi, India — Two prominent figures from the youth-oriented Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das, were remanded to five days of judicial custody on Wednesday, October 14. The detention follows their arrest a day earlier for trespassing at the Jantar Mantar protest site.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke confirmed the sentencing via a social media update. The arrests occurred shortly after Delhi Police officially removed the central street from the list of authorized demonstration locations.
Footage shared by Dipke on Tuesday captured the pair scaling security barricades at the site. Once inside the restricted area, the two men ran into an open space and waved the national flag before being apprehended by law enforcement officers.
The protest site has remained under heavy police guard and sealed off by yellow metal barriers for several days. The CJP leaders have been vocal in their demands for the resignation of India’s election chief, alleging that the commission manipulated voter rolls to favor Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling party.
While supporters and opposition groups have staged recent demonstrations regarding these accusations, the Election Commission of India has consistently denied any misconduct. The commission maintains oversight of the electoral process in the world’s most populous nation.
Defending his colleagues on Wednesday, Dipke characterized the judicial action as a punishment for simply unfurling the tricolour at Jantar Mantar. He further challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to show some guts in response to the movement.
Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)
