Delhi Police detained three Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) activists, Ashutosh Ranka, Saurav Das and Ajinkya Shinde, on Tuesday after they attempted to enter Jantar Mantar, a day after the protest venue was officially de-notified by authorities.
The activists had assembled at the site early in the morning and allegedly attempted to breach a police cordon before security personnel intervened and took them into custody, according to reports.
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CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke confirmed the detentions in a post on X, accusing the government of attempting to suppress demonstrations by withdrawing Jantar Mantar's status as a designated protest venue.
"Cockroaches with the Tiranga sneaked into Jantar Mantar early this morning before they were picked up by Delhi Police. AshutoshRanka, Saurav Das and Ajinkya along with other team members have been detained. You cannot denotify the resistance, @narendramodi," Dipke posted on X.
Ranka also responded to the police action, writing, "Hands Off Jantar Mantar."
The detentions follow a decision announced on Monday to remove Jantar Mantar from the list of designated protest sites in the national capital. According to an official notice, Delhi Police has identified three alternative venues for demonstrations: Ramlila Ground, Burari Ground and CBD Ground in East Delhi.
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The decision followed recommendations from a committee constituted by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to examine alternative locations where citizens could organise protests and demonstrations.
The move has drawn criticism from opposition leaders and CJP members, who have questioned its implications for the right to protest.
Earlier, Dipke criticised the decision in a separate post on X, arguing that removing Jantar Mantar's designated status would not bring demonstrations to an end.
"Delhi is once again flooded with people standing up to save democracy. If Modi thinks taking away Jantar Mantar will put an end to protests, he is mistaken. Jantar Mantar is not just a location but a spirit of resistance that nobody can ever take away. Today, Modi denotified Jantar Mantar as a designated protest site. Tomorrow, he will denotify democracy itself. The dictator’s problem was never the protest site. It was the very idea of people protesting," he said.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh also criticised the decision, alleging that the government was seeking to restrict public demonstrations.
“It is a definite sign of the extreme panic that has gripped the PM-HM duo that the historic Jantar Mantar will no longer be a place where our democracy is given a daily booster dose,” Ramesh wrote on X.
“The poisonous pair is embattled, and we have seen in the past few days how brutally they have dealt with peaceful public protests. Democracy no longer matters to them. It is all a matter of Demokursi,” he added.