Two members of the Cockroach Janta Party have been moved to separate barracks at Delhi’s Tihar Jail after their arrests during a protest-related confrontation at Jantar Mantar, according to Live Hindustan – NCR. Saurabh Das has been placed in Jail No. 2 and Ashutosh Ranka in Jail No. 4 for five days of judicial custody.
The arrests followed an incident on October 13, when Delhi Police said Das, Ranka, Ajinkya Shinde and 11 other members of the group entered the Jantar Mantar area through a private premises. Police said the location had recently been removed from the list of designated protest sites and that security personnel tried to stop the group from entering.
According to the report, police alleged that the protesters obstructed officials in the discharge of their duties and that some participants crossed barricades and raised slogans. All 14 people were detained. Das and Ranka were later sent to judicial custody by a special executive magistrate, while Shinde was released on a private bond and a security amount of Rs 5,000, subject to maintaining peace and good conduct for six months.
Prison officials cited security considerations for keeping Das and Ranka in different barracks. The report said the two were produced before the special executive magistrate along with Shinde on Wednesday morning. The court considered a preventive police report, alleged repeated violations of law and the possibility of further violations or attempts to provoke others, according to the police account.
The arrests have resulted in cases at two police stations. A first information report at Connaught Place police station includes provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita relating to disobedience of an order issued by a public servant, unauthorised entry with criminal intent and criminal conspiracy. A separate case at Parliament Street police station includes provisions relating to obstructing a public servant, causing hurt, using force to prevent official duty and common intention.
The report said sections 332, 132 and 121(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita invoked in the cases are non-bailable. Police also said preventive proceedings were initiated under Sections 126 and 170 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita after the three named individuals were produced before the magistrate.
The action comes after Das and Ranka had also been detained on the preceding Saturday, according to the report. They had signed bonds to maintain peace for one year. Police said the latest preventive arrests were made amid heightened security in the national capital and alleged that the group had attempted through social media to encourage others to participate in unlawful activities.
Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijit Deepke criticised the arrests in a post on X, asking what offence the two men had committed and referring to the alleged raising of the national flag at Jantar Mantar. His post also criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and described the action as an attempt to suppress dissent.
The immediate legal process will continue through the five-day judicial custody period and the cases registered by Connaught Place and Parliament Street police. The authorities have not announced any change to the restriction on using Jantar Mantar as a protest site in the material reported by Live Hindustan – NCR.
