New Delhi, Oct 13: Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were detained by Delhi Police on Tuesday after entering Jantar Mantar, a day after the site was denotified as a designated protest venue.
In a social media post, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said several other team members, including Ajinkya Shinde, had also been detained.
“Cockroaches with the Tiranga sneaked into Jantar Mantar early this morning before they were picked up by Delhi Police,” Dipke said.
He named Ranka, Das and Shinde among those detained, adding, “You cannot denotify the resistance.” He also tagged Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the post.
In a video shared by Dipke, CJP protesters, including Ranka and Das, are seen climbing over a locked gate to enter the Jantar Mantar premises.
Cockroaches with the Tiranga sneaked into Jantar Mantar early this morning before they were picked up by Delhi Police. @AshutoshRanka, @SauravDassss, @AjinkyaCJP along with other team members have been detained. You cannot denotify the resistance, @narendramodi https://t.co/x7B40akCVO
— Abhijeet Dipke (@abhijeet_dipke) October 13, 2026
The protesters then raised slogans, including “Gyanesh Kumar isteefa do” (Gyanesh Kumar, resign) and “Bharat Mata ki Jai”, while holding the national flag.
"Jantar Mantar has been breached. The resignation of Gyanesh Kumar will happen at Jantar Mantar. Do what you can," Ranka said.
Das questioned the Home Ministry's restrictions on access to the protest site, saying, "Who is the Home Ministry to take away our Jantar Mantar? This is the designated protest site, and we will get the resignation of Gyanesh Kumar from Jantar Mantar."
Das also flashed a copy of the Constitution and said, "Constitution is with us."
Police personnel soon arrived at the spot and detained them.
The detentions came amid heightened security in New Delhi following calls by various organisations for protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Delhi Police has deployed a large number of personnel across the city to maintain law and order.
On Monday, Das had criticised the government’s decision to denotify Jantar Mantar as a designated protest site, calling it “unacceptable” and saying the party would not accept what it described as an arbitrary decision.
“Unacceptable. Why is Narendra Modi scared of Jantar Mantar?” Das said in a social media post.
“The Jantar Mantar belongs to the people of India. Did the Ministry of Home Affairs consult with the people of India? Were any stakeholders consulted? Were any organisations consulted?” he added.
The remarks came a day after Delhi Police announced that Jantar Mantar would no longer be a designated venue for protests and demonstrations.
An official order named Ramlila Ground, Burari Ground and CBD Ground in East Delhi as the three alternative sites for such gatherings.