Delhi Police placed three Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leaders under preventive arrest on Sunday ahead of the group’s proposed protest march and demonstrations at Jantar Mantar over alleged electoral roll irregularities and calls for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Abhijeet Dipke, Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das were expected to be produced before a magistrate and released from Delhi Cantt police station on Sunday morning, police officers said. The leaders had been detained at Indira Gandhi International Airport on Saturday morning after arriving on a flight from Mumbai.
The three were taken to different police stations and kept for 24 hours before being placed under preventive arrest. A police officer said the action was intended to maintain public order and prevent an imminent disturbance. The officer cited Sections 126 and 170 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), which replaced corresponding preventive-action provisions under the Code of Criminal Procedure.
Under Section 126 of the BNSS, a magistrate can require a person to execute a bond for maintaining peace. Section 170 empowers the police to make preventive arrests. The officer said Sections 127 and 170 require the police to release a person within 24 hours of arrest. Members of the CJP’s legal team were also expected to be present during the leaders’ release.
The CJP had called for a sit-in and a march towards Jantar Mantar at 10 am on Sunday. Delhi Police denied permission for the demonstration, citing prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the BNSS in the New Delhi area. The restrictions were imposed as authorities prepared for another mobilisation following protests on Saturday.
Delhi Police said around 7,000 people who allegedly attempted to march towards Jantar Mantar on Saturday were detained. Police also said some of their personnel were injured while controlling the crowd. Security was tightened across central Delhi, with around 30,000 personnel deployed and multiple layers of barricades installed in the area.
The proposed protest was linked to allegations of irregularities in electoral rolls and demands for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The arrests and movement restrictions affected the organisers’ attempt to hold a demonstration at one of the capital’s designated protest locations.
Separately, YouTuber Dhruv Rathee was released from Gurgaon Police custody in the early hours of Sunday. He had been detained on Saturday ahead of the CJP’s proposed protest at Jantar Mantar. The three CJP leaders were scheduled to be produced before a magistrate before their release from Delhi Cantt police station.
