The Delhi authorities must immediately release Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, who have been remanded to five days of judicial custody after trying to protest at Jantar Mantar on Tuesday. Their arrests, following the removal of the site’s designation as an authorized protest venue, raise serious concerns about shrinking space for peaceful protest and dissent in India.
According to a post on X by CJP’s legal head, Ratna Singh, Das and Ranka were remanded to judicial custody on Wednesday. Party member Ajinkya Shinde, who was also detained, was released on a personal bond of INR 5,000 (USD 55). A First Information Report (FIR) was registered against Das and Ranka under provisions relating to breach of bond, criminal trespass and disobedience of orders, among other charges. Shinde was also placed under preventive arrest before being released.
“The authorities cannot claim to protect the right to protest while denotifying established protest sites and arresting people who attempt to use them. Peaceful assemblies should not be limited to a few designated sites. Rather, public spaces must remain available for people to peacefully assemble, challenge those in power, demand accountability, and make their grievances heard. Authorities cannot use the criminal justice system to punish people for exercising their right to peaceful assembly. We call for the immediate release of the CJP leaders and an end to the crackdown on peaceful dissent,” said Aakar Patel, Chair of Board, Amnesty International India.
Public spaces must remain available for people to peacefully assemble, challenge those in power, demand accountability, and make their grievances heard
Aakar Patel, Chair of Board, Amnesty International India
Jantar Mantar has long provided people from all walks of life, including workers, students and activists, a platform to bring grievances directly to public attention. Its importance lies not only in its capacity to accommodate gatherings, but in its accessibility and proximity to political institutions like the Parliament house.
On 12 October, Delhi Police officially removed Jantar Mantar from the list of legal, permitted areas for public protests and demonstrations. According to the Delhi police, this was done after a Supreme Court direction concerning alternative protest venues. Authorities identified venues like Ramlila Maidan, Burari Ground and CBD Ground as alternatives. However, naming replacement venues does not adequately guarantee the effective exercise of the right to peaceful assembly. Their accessibility, location, and ability for protesters to assemble within sight and sound of their intended audience are essential considerations. Moreover, as the UN Human Rights Committee has emphasized, “peaceful assemblies may in principle be conducted in all spaces to which the public … should have access.”
Articles 19(1)(a) and 19(1)(b) of the Indian Constitution protects freedom of expression and the right to assemble peacefully and without arms. Although reasonable restrictions are permitted on specified grounds, including public order, authorities do not have unrestricted discretion to exclude peaceful demonstrations from public spaces.
In Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan v. Union of India (2018), the Supreme Court recognized the need to balance protesters’ rights with the interests of residents and other users of public space. Regulation must seek to accommodate competing interests, not impose arbitrary or blanket prohibitions.
International human rights law reinforces these protections. Articles 19 and 21 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) safeguard the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.
The prohibition of protests at Jantar Mantar comes amid a broader police crackdown on demonstrations over electoral-roll revisions and demands for accountability from Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Over the weekend of 10–11 October, police detained thousands of protesters and imposed restrictions affecting access to protest sites, public transport, and mobile internet, according to media reports and human rights organizations. Demonstrations were prevented from proceeding freely, with people detained as they attempted to gather in public spaces, and some detained from their homes even before they left for protest sites. Protesters who were travelling from Gujarat and Maharashtra to Delhi to participate in the protests were also detained by the authorities and prevented from continuing their journey to the capital.
Journalists covering the protests reported detention, physical mistreatment, confiscation of equipment, and obstruction despite displaying press credentials. Women journalists covering the protests have alleged that they were sexually harassed by Delhi Police. Lawyers seeking access to detainees faced also faced restrictions. These incidents raise concerns about journalists’ ability to document police conduct and lawyers’ ability to safeguard detainees’ rights.
“When protesters cannot assemble, journalists are harassed and cannot report freely, and lawyers face obstacles in reaching detainees, the entire system of public accountability suffers. By closing Jantar Mantar and restricting peaceful gatherings, the authorities are making dissent increasingly difficult to exercise. A right that exists only on paper, while people are denied places to assemble and face arrest when they try, is a right hollowed out in practice. These restrictions display strong authoritarian tendencies and risk turning public spaces into places where dissent is unwelcome,” said Aakar Patel.
Background
CJP, a youth-led movement that grew out of online satire, emerged as a protest force in June 2026, mobilizing students and young people against alleged examination irregularities and paper leaks. Its demonstrations at Jantar Mantar demanded the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
The current crackdown on peaceful protests was not only confined to Delhi. Police detained protesters in Mumbai and Bengaluru.
In Bengaluru, on 12 October, police detained at least 100 people who were marching towards the Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer’s office. In Mumbai, police detained more than 600 people on 10 October as they tried to gather at August Kranti Maidan.
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