NEW DELHI, Oct. 14 -- Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday strongly condemned the arrest and five-day judicial custody of Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, describing the action as an act of cowardice and asserting that peaceful demonstrations at Jantar Mantar were a constitutional right. The Congress leader's remarks came after Das and Ranka were sent to Tihar Jail following their detention for allegedly entering the heavily barricaded Jantar Mantar protest site without authorisation on Tuesday. The two were among CJP activists who entered the area, waved the national flag and raised slogans demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Gandhi accused the authorities of attempting to suppress peaceful dissent and declared that Jantar Mantar belonged to the people of India. His intervention came amid escalating protests against the Election Commission over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and the recent decision to remove Jantar Mantar from the list of designated demonstration sites. In a post on X, Gandhi criticised the detention of the two activists and questioned the use of criminal proceedings against demonstrators who, according to him, had engaged in a peaceful protest. "Waving the Tricolour at Jantar Mantar in a peaceful protest is not a crime. Jailing youth for it is an act of cowardice," Gandhi said. The Congress leader emphasised that the demonstrations by students, young people, journalists and Opposition parties were part of a common movement to defend constitutional freedoms. "Different banners, one cause. All protests are one: citizens demanding their constitutional rights," he said.
Gandhi also challenged the restrictions imposed on demonstrations at Jantar Mantar, declaring that the traditional protest venue would be reclaimed for public use. His statement signalled support for the CJP activists, whose campaign against the Chief Election Commissioner has gained attention amid a series of demonstrations and detentions in the national capital. Das and Ranka were sent to five days of judicial custody on Wednesday after being produced before a Special Executive Magistrate at Mandir Marg. A third CJP activist, Ajinkya Shinde, who had also been detained in connection with Tuesday's protest, was released after furnishing a peace bond. The three had been detained after allegedly entering the restricted Jantar Mantar area despite barricades and police deployment. According to police, the activists had violated prohibitory orders and obstructed personnel performing their duties. Delhi Police said 14 individuals were detained in connection with the incident and booked under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Das, Ranka and Shinde were subsequently placed under preventive arrest.
Police maintained that the action was not merely related to waving the national flag but involved alleged trespassing, obstruction of public servants and violations of restrictions imposed on the protest site. The authorities also alleged that Das and Ranka had breached the conditions of peace bonds executed after an earlier demonstration in Delhi. CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke condemned the decision to send the two leaders to judicial custody and accused the government of attempting to intimidate young protesters. Dipke maintained that the activists had entered Jantar Mantar to unfurl the national flag and register their opposition to the restrictions on peaceful demonstrations. He questioned why such an act should result in imprisonment and accused the authorities of using preventive detention provisions to suppress dissent.
Members of the CJP legal team also challenged the police version of events. Lawyer Ratna Singh alleged that the activists had been denied timely access to legal counsel and questioned the manner in which they were detained and produced before the magistrate. The legal representatives disputed the allegations of trespassing and obstruction, maintaining that the police action was disproportionate to the conduct of the protesters. The CJP has indicated that it intends to challenge the custody order through legal proceedings. The allegations made by the activists against police personnel remain contested. The arrests have intensified the controversy surrounding the decision to remove Jantar Mantar from the list of designated protest venues in Delhi. On October 11, Delhi Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar issued an order designating Ramlila Maidan, Burari Ground and CBD Ground in east Delhi as locations for public demonstrations. Jantar Mantar, which has historically served as a prominent venue for protests in the national capital, was excluded from the revised list.
The decision has drawn criticism from Opposition parties and civil society organisations, which argue that relocating demonstrations away from central Delhi would diminish their visibility and effectiveness. The CJP has opposed the move and maintained that the government cannot restrict peaceful dissent simply by withdrawing a venue's designation as a protest site. Police, however, have cited public order considerations and the need to enforce restrictions imposed on gatherings in sensitive areas of the capital. The latest confrontation comes amid sustained protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the SIR exercise. The CJP and several Opposition parties have alleged that the revision process has resulted in the wrongful exclusion of eligible voters and have demanded greater accountability from the Election Commission.
The allegations are disputed, and the Election Commission has maintained that electoral roll revision is necessary to ensure accurate voter lists. The INDIA bloc has also intensified its campaign against the poll body, with senior Opposition leaders participating in a march towards the Supreme Court earlier this week. Gandhi's statement on Wednesday sought to connect the CJP's demonstrations with the wider Opposition campaign, presenting the protests as part of a common demand for constitutional rights and electoral accountability. The developments have brought renewed attention to the legal limits of preventive detention, the regulation of public demonstrations and the right to peaceful assembly. With two CJP leaders in judicial custody and the Opposition challenging the restrictions on Jantar Mantar, the confrontation between protesters and the Delhi authorities is expected to continue.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.