The dispute over Jantar Mantar as a protest venue escalated on Tuesday after Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke threatened demonstrations across India if restrictions on protests at the central Delhi site were enforced. Dipke also alleged that three party leaders were detained after reaching Jantar Mantar with the national flag, and said the party’s legal team would approach a court.
According to the report, CJP leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were detained after reaching Jantar Mantar despite heavy barricading and security arrangements. Dipke also named Ajinkya Shinde among party members who were allegedly taken into custody. He claimed that lawyers were not being allowed to meet the detained leaders and described the alleged action as unlawful. The report did not include a response from Delhi Police to these allegations.
Dipke questioned how displaying the national flag could constitute a legal violation. In a post on X and later remarks to journalists in Hingoli district of Maharashtra, he demanded action against those responsible for the alleged detentions. He said the party members had been carrying the Tricolour when they were detained and argued that the police action was inconsistent with the rule of law.
The dispute follows a permanent order issued by Delhi Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar on October 11, according to the report. The order designated Ramlila Maidan in central Delhi, Burari Maidan in north Delhi and CBD Maidan in east Delhi as locations for protests and sit-ins. Jantar Mantar was removed from the list of designated protest venues.
The change is significant because Jantar Mantar has long been associated with public demonstrations in the national capital. Removing a central location from the designated list changes how protest activity is organised and shifts demonstrations to sites in different parts of the city. The report, however, does not provide the full text of the police order or explain the stated administrative reasons for the change.
Dipke alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah were attempting to suppress democratic dissent, and said the government objected to protests rather than only to the location. These were political allegations made by Dipke and were not independently established in the report. He warned that if police stopped him while travelling to Delhi, he would begin his protest from wherever he was detained.
Dipke said he planned to reach the national capital on Wednesday to join a CJP demonstration seeking the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. He added that the party’s agitation would continue until that demand was met. The next developments will depend on whether the proposed demonstration takes place, how Delhi Police enforces the revised venue arrangement and whether the alleged detentions are taken before a court.
