A Special Executive Magistrate (SEM) on Wednesday sent Cockroach Janata Party leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka to five days of judicial custody, a day after the duo, along with several others from the outfit, breached the de-notified Jantar Mantar protest site.
The counsel representing them, advocate Abhisht Hela, said that the Delhi Police argued that both of them gave a call and asked people to reach at Jantar Mantar, thereby carrying out criminal trespass, and a previous bond signed by the accused before a Special Executive Magistrate at Delhi Cantt Police Station on Sunday to not carry out any breach of peace, had been violated by the accused.
The counsel further said that police argued before the magistrate that “there was a presumption that the accused might carry out a crime” if they are out. They were produced before the SEM at Mandir Marg Police Station at around 8:30 am on Wednesday.
CJP chief spokesperson Saurav Das and its national spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka were detained by the Delhi Police on Tuesday morning after entering Jantar Mantar by jumping the locked gates, a day after the site lost its designated protest venue status. Track latest updates from anti-CEC protests here
Ranka shared a video on his X handle shortly after the detention, showing him and Saurav Das, along with outfit's national organisation in-charge Ajinkya Shinde, climbing the locked gates of Jantar Mantar and entering the venue before police personnel present there intervened and took hold of them.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke reacted to the judicial arrest of the outfit, asking if unfolding the tricolour was their fault.
“Ashu and Saurav have been sent to 5 days judicial custody. Their fault? Unfurling tricolour at Jantar Mantar. Show some guts, @narendramodi. If you’re so determined to crush dissent, have the courage to officially declare an Emergency instead of hiding behind these cowardly tactics,” Dipke said on X.
Das, Ranka breach Jantar Mantar
Das and Ranka had come with at least 10 more people and some of them managed to enter Jantar Mantar carrying the national flag to protest against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar. They all have been detained, a senior police officer said.
The video showed Ranka and others shouting ‘Bharat Mata ki jai’ and ‘Gyanesh Kumar isteefa do’ [Gyanesh Kumar resign] chants.
Saurav Das said on X later that they have been “taken away to Jaffarpur Police Station.”
CJP founder took to X and said, “Cockroaches with the Tiranga sneaked into Jantar Mantar early this morning before they were picked up by Delhi Police." “You cannot denotify the resistance,” Dipke said on his X post after the detention of Saurav Das, Ashutosh Ranka and Ajinkya Shinde for entering Jantar Mantar.
Jantar Mantar loses protest site status
The attempt to enter Jantar Mantar in Lutyens' Delhi came a day after it was de-notified as a designated protest venue. A Delhi Police circular on Monday listed three new sites — spread out across the city — for holding demonstrations, making Jantar Mantar, where CJP led a mega stir in June and July that led to the resignation of education minister Dharmendra Pradhan, off limits.
According to the circular, the Ministry of Home Affairs had constituted a committee to examine alternative proper venues for citizen's right for organisingprotest/demonstrations in place of the existing "designated site".
Based on the committee's recommendations, Jantar Mantar as a protest venue has been de-notified, it stated, listing the three new venues - -Ramlila Ground, Burari Ground, and CBD Ground, in Shahdara.