A Delhi court sentenced Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das, prominent figures in the youth-led Cockroach Janata party (CJP), to five days in Tihar prison for breaching a prohibition on demonstrations at Jantar Mantar, a location in central Delhi that has served as the capital’s official protest venue for over three decades. The two leaders, alongside approximately a dozen others, crossed police barricades on Tuesday while displaying flags and chanting slogans.
The CJP had organized demonstrations earlier in the week to call for the resignation of election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, citing allegations that he oversaw widespread voter disenfranchisement that benefited the ruling government. The movement, along with opposition parties and student organizations, contends that Kumar manipulated India’s electoral roll. Kumar’s Bharatiya Janata party has rejected these accusations, and the election commission stated that incorrectly removed voters can re-enroll.
Police declined to authorize the Saturday protest and implemented extensive security measures, deploying approximately 30,000 officers and paramilitary personnel. The operation resulted in the detention of over 7,000 individuals, including CJP leadership. Following these events, authorities announced that Jantar Mantar would no longer serve as a protest location and proposed three alternative sites positioned significantly farther from parliament, triggering strong opposition from CJP figures.
CJP founder Abhijit Dipke characterized the government’s approach as “cowardly tactics” aimed at suppressing dissent. Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi defended the detained activists, stating that peacefully waving the Indian flag should not constitute a criminal offense. The government’s response to nationwide protests, including mass detentions, has attracted scrutiny from the United Nations human rights office and international human rights organizations including Amnesty International. Indian officials rejected the UN commentary as unwarranted interference in domestic matters, while a visiting UK political delegation also raised concerns about the situation.
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