A student group marched from Connaught Place in New Delhi on Tuesday, demanding the release of detained Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) leaders and opposing the de-notification of Jantar Mantar as a designated protest site, according to a report by Millennium Post – Delhi.
Members of the student organisation Disha organised the march after CJP leaders Saurav Das, Ashutosh Ranka and Ajinkya Shinde were detained by Delhi Police while attempting to enter Jantar Mantar on Tuesday morning. The group called on citizens, particularly young people, to gather at Connaught Place and “reclaim Jantar Mantar”.
The action placed access to one of Delhi’s recognised protest locations at the centre of the demonstration. Disha members described the march as a demand for justice and sought the immediate release of Ranka, Das and other CJP members. The report did not provide details of the specific grounds for the detentions.
The dispute combines two linked issues: the detention of political activists and the changing administrative status of a public location used for demonstrations. Jantar Mantar has historically been associated with organised protests in the capital, making any decision affecting its use relevant to how public assembly is managed in a dense central district.
According to the report, the student group’s mobilisation followed the morning detentions. It urged citizens to participate in larger numbers and used the phrase “reclaim Jantar Mantar” to frame its opposition to the reported de-notification. The supplied report does not specify which authority ordered or implemented the change, when the de-notification took effect, or what alternative arrangements may be available for protests.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said in a post on X that several other members had also been picked up by police. The report identified Das, Ranka and Shinde as among those detained, but did not provide a total number of people taken into custody or state whether formal cases had been registered.
The immediate public-interest question is therefore both operational and civic: whether protesters will continue to be permitted access to Jantar Mantar, and how Delhi authorities will handle demonstrations involving groups that seek to use the site. The information available in the report does not include a police statement, an official notification on the site’s status or a timetable for any review of the detentions.
For residents and civic groups, the episode highlights how the regulation of central public spaces can affect the practical exercise of assembly rights. It also shows how changes to the status of a protest venue can quickly become a flashpoint between organisers, student groups and law-enforcement agencies.
Disha’s march and demands followed the detentions on Tuesday. Further clarity is awaited from Delhi Police and the relevant authority on the reasons for the arrests, the reported de-notification of Jantar Mantar and the arrangements governing future protests at the site.
