Government scared, has turned anti-CEC protests against themselves: CJP
New Delhi, Oct 11: Top CJP leaders on Sunday vowed to expand their protests nationwide on the SIR issue after they were released from preventive custody though 100 more people were detained as police maintained the security chokehold on the Capital.
In a special sitting, the Supreme Court directed that people gathering peacefully should not be illegally detained and asked authorities to ensure that Delhi Metro functions normally, and that there is no disruption to internet services, subject to law and order conditions.
Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leaders Abhijeet Dipke, Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das, who were set free on a condition that they would not “breach peace” for a year, claimed that their detention was illegal and their protest would continue till Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar resigns.
“We are not dreaded criminals; we are not going to Narendra Modi or Amit Shah’s house to protest. Protest at designated protest spot is not disturbing peace,” Ranka said at a press conference later.
The three were released by the Special Executive Magistrate Court after “a bail bond as surety bond of Rs 50,000 was filed for maintaining peace and good behaviour, for a period of one year”, Delhi Police said.The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Sunday alleged that the government was “scared” and therefore turning the protests against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar into an agitation “against themselves”.
Addressing a press conference hours after being released by a Delhi court following preventive arrest, CJP co-convener Ashutosh Ranka said: “In the last 72 hours, the country has witnessed peak authoritarianism. Thousands of peaceful protesters who wanted to stage an agitation at a designated protest site have been detained from across the country.”
Blaming Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, he said: “The situation has been made so worse that we were ‘kidnapped’ from the flight yesterday.”
Signed no bond vowing not to protest again: Dipke
Abhijeet Dipke on Sunday said he had not signed any bond barring him and other CJP leaders from staging further protests demanding the removal of CEC Gyanesh Kumar and vowed to take to the streets again.
His remarks come after CJP legal affairs head Ratna Singh said Dipke, Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das, who were put under preventive arrest at the Delhi airport ahead of the Jantar Mantar protest, were released on condition that they would not “breach peace” for a year.
Delhi Police registers 20 FIRs; around 200 detained
Delhi Police has registered 20 FIRs in connection with Saturday’s CJP protest against CEC Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the SIR of electoral rolls, officials said on Sunday.
The cases include an FIR registered at Kamla Market police station, in which four men claiming links to the right-wing Hindu Raksha Dal were arrested for allegedly assaulting students and manhandling women during the protest, they said.
Around 200 protesters were detained on Sunday as they raised slogans and marched towards Jantar Mantar, with several seen being dragged into police buses, as the protest called by the CJP entered its second day amid heavy security deployment across Delhi.
Members of several student organisations, including the Students’ Federation of India (SFI), All India Students’ Association (AISA) and Krantikari Yuva Sangathan (KYS), along with CJP supporters, were detained while trying to march to Jantar Mantar from different parts of the capital.
Press bodies condemn detention of journalists
Four journalists’ organisations, including the Press Club of India (PCI) and the Indian Women’s Press Corps (IWPC), condemned the detention and harassment of several journalists covering protests in the national capital demanding the resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar.
In a joint statement issued on Saturday, the organisations highlighted that police detained several journalists despite their displaying press identity cards, and seized the phones and equipment of some reporters.
Rahul invites people to join Opp parties’ march
Rahul Gandhi, on Sunday released a video on social media inviting people to join the opposition parties’ march on Monday to the Supreme Court to give a memorandum against the SIR of electoral rolls and EVMs to the Chief Justice of India, Surya Kant.
“Don’t be afraid. We will march together, with love, brotherhood and patriotism. Tomorrow, all of India will march to the Supreme Court,” he said, adding that they will demand the removal of the CEC. (Agencies)