CJP protest: Saurav Das, Ashutosh Ranka, Ajinkya Shinde under preventive arrest, say Delhi Police officials

Delhi Police have placed Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) leaders Saurav Das, Ashutosh Ranka and Ajinkya Shinde under preventive arrest for allegedly trespassing into Jantar Mantar, a day after the site was removed from the list of designated protest locations. Officials said the three will be produced before the Special Executive Magistrate court at Mandir Marg on Thursday (15th October).

What happened at Jantar Mantar?

The three CJP leaders were detained early Tuesday morning after they entered Jantar Mantar, which has now been denotified as a venue for demonstrations, and raised slogans demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.

A group of around 14 party members allegedly used a narrow lane to reach the JD(U) office premises adjacent to Jantar Mantar and climbed over its locked boundary wall to access the protest site. Security personnel deployed at the barricades detained them soon after they entered the premises. Police said the leaders were taken to Jafarpur Kalan police station, where a case was registered over the alleged unauthorised entry.

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Allegations Against The Leaders

The Delhi Police described the action as a preventive arrest, saying it was taken to prevent a possible breach of peace after the three leaders entered the restricted protest venue. Officials said allegations include trespassing, violation of earlier bond conditions and obstruction of public servants.

Preventive arrest allows police to detain a person without a warrant to prevent a cognizable offence or breach of peace. Under this provision, the detained persons cannot be held beyond 24 hours without a magistrate’s order.

CJP Claims Arrest, Cites ‘Orders From Above’

The party’s lawyer, Ratna Singh, said in a post on X that Das and Ranka had been arrested after “sneaking” into Jantar Mantar. She alleged that the leaders faced charges including trespass, bond violation and obstruction of public officials’ duty.

The CJP also questioned the timing and manner of the police action, claiming that its leaders were taken to the Parliament Street police station and that their phones were removed, limiting contact with lawyers. The party described the action as politically motivated and said it appeared to have been carried out on “orders from above.”

Delhi Police, however, maintained that all legal procedures were followed and reiterated that the three were placed under preventive arrest.

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Earlier Detention And Bail Conditions

This is not the first time the Delhi Police has taken preventive action against the CJP leadership. Das, Ranka and party founder Abhijeet Dipke were earlier detained from the Indira Gandhi International Airport and kept under preventive arrest for 24 hours before being released on Sunday.

Their release was subject to a condition that they would not engage in any activity likely to disturb public peace for one year. The court had also demanded a peace bond of ₹50,000 under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).