Police detained around 100 to 150 supporters of the Cockroach Janta Party near Pune’s Lal Mahal on October 10 before a planned demonstration against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar could take place, according to a report by Punekar News. Authorities said the gathering had not received permission, while between 500 and 700 police personnel were deployed around the historic site.
Anuja Deshmane, Assistant Commissioner of Police for Vishrambaug Division, said the detained people were supporters of the movement being organised by the CJP. She said they would be released after an investigation if they were not found to be involved in any other cases.
A police officer separately told the publication that the action was being carried out in accordance with directions from the Union Home Ministry. Five to six police vans were used to transport those detained, the officer said.
Police maintained a heavy presence in and around Lal Mahal, with officers also stationed in plain clothes to monitor the area. Several police vans were positioned near the site as personnel watched for further gatherings. Police indicated that additional detentions could follow if more supporters attempted to assemble.
The officer said some CJP supporters were still inside the Wada premises while the operation was under way. Personnel were searching the premises and other locations where protesters might be present, and officers said people identified as participants in the demonstration would be detained. Information available from the site indicated that the gathering involved CJP supporters rather than the party’s official office-bearers.
The police action in Pune came amid security measures reported across Maharashtra before the party’s planned nationwide protest against Kumar at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar. The CJP’s campaign is seeking the Chief Election Commissioner’s resignation over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, including claims that eligible voters’ names have been removed. Those allegations remain contested.
The planned Delhi demonstration had reportedly not received permission from Delhi Police. Media reports also said CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke and other party members were detained aboard an aircraft shortly after it landed at Indira Gandhi International Airport on Saturday.
In Pune, police cited the absence of permission for the gathering near Lal Mahal as the reason for the detentions. The immediate next step was an investigation into those taken into custody, with release expected for people not found to be involved in other cases, according to the assistant commissioner of police.
