New Delhi, Oct 11 (V7N)- Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) founder Abhijit Deepke and two associates, Sourav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, have been released a day after being detained in connection with a planned protest in the Indian capital.
The three were released on Sunday after appearing before an Executive Magistrate, reportedly on the condition that they maintain peace for one year. YouTuber and political content creator Dhruv Rathee, who was also detained ahead of the demonstration, was released from police custody on the same day.
CJP co-convener Ashutosh Ranka said the party had scheduled a press conference for 2 pm on Sunday to discuss the detentions and its next course of action.
The party had called for a demonstration titled “Jantar Mantar 2.0” at Delhi's Jantar Mantar on Saturday, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Police detained Abhijit Deepke and his associates after they arrived in Delhi from Mumbai on Saturday morning. Authorities had imposed extensive security measures across the capital, deploying police and central armed forces, erecting barricades on major roads and restricting access to parts of the city.
Reports also said 57 metro stations were closed from Friday night and mobile internet services were ordered to be suspended within a four-kilometre radius of the protest site. Several long-distance trains bound for Delhi were also reportedly cancelled.
Police said permission for the demonstration had not been granted because the application was not submitted within the prescribed timeframe and conditions linked to an earlier programme had allegedly been violated. CJP leaders, however, said they would proceed with the protest despite the lack of permission.
Before travelling to Delhi, Abhijit Deepke had criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling him a “dictator” and alleging that the authorities were trying to prevent young people from joining the protest. He argued that peaceful demonstrations were a fundamental right protected under Article 19 of India's Constitution.
After his detention, CJP organiser Ajinka Shinde took over leadership of the planned demonstration and urged supporters in a social media video to march towards Jantar Mantar. She said the movement would continue even if police blocked their route, declaring that protesters would establish their gathering wherever they were stopped.
The detentions also drew criticism from opposition leaders. The Trinamool Congress said former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and six party leaders, including Rajya Sabha members Derek O'Brien and Dola Sen, were detained while staging a sit-in outside Banerjee's residence on South Avenue in Delhi. The party questioned whether detaining peaceful protesters was consistent with democratic principles.
Former Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal was also detained outside his residence while heading to join the protest, according to reports. Before his detention, Kejriwal alleged that the authorities were attempting to suppress democracy and compared the situation unfavourably with the Emergency period.
Thousands of people were reportedly detained in Delhi in connection with the demonstrations, with at least 4,000 later released. The latest releases mark a further development in the political tensions surrounding the planned protest and the electoral-roll revision process.
END/SMA/AJ
