The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leadership held a detailed review of the October 10 protest and the subsequent police action and will return with a different strategy, party leader Ashutosh said in an interview with Hindustan Times.
This comes amid criticism of the Abhijeet Dipke-led pressure group's handling of the agitation demanding the resignation of chief election commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.
“We have taken stock of what has happened in the last three days, and we will come back with a different strategy,” Ashutosh said, adding that the party’s core team, state coordinators and office-bearers met to discuss the protests and alleged police brutality against its members.
Edited excerpts below:
Q: The entire CJP leadership was apprehended from the flight. What happened in detention? What kind of treatment did you receive, given allegations that other protesters were brutally beaten up?
Ashutosh: We were shocked when we saw that, the moment the flight landed, the deboarding stairs had been put in place, and around 30 policemen were standing on them. That was when we realised they were there for us. Even the aircraft staff had no clue that something like this was going to happen.
They took us in a bus, and when it reached the gate, all three of us were sent in separate private vehicles to three different locations. Abhijeet (Dipke) was sent to the Vasant Enclave special staff quarters, Saurav (Dass) to RK Puram, and I was sent to Najafgarh, 40 km away from the airport.
We were kept there throughout the day. At 2.30 am, I was taken from Najafgarh to Dipke's location.
The treatment at the station was fine. They gave us food and spoke to us properly, but they did not allow us to speak to our lawyers. It was only at 3 am that they finally told us we had been arrested and could call our lawyers, and that we would be produced before a magistrate at 8 am.
They expected us to call our parents, but would not let us speak to our lawyers. I had to call my father at 4 am and tell him to arrange for a lawyer. Even then, I was not allowed to speak to him directly. The inspector spoke to him.
Throughout the night, they kept disturbing us with one thing or another. My medical examination took place at around 10.30 pm. At 11.30 pm, someone came to check my sugar levels. At 12.30 am, they took me to another police station, 40 km away, and kept me in a car for another hour. They spent the entire night harassing us.
The policemen were consistently receiving calls. At some point, we felt they wanted to invoke arbitrary sections against us so they could send us into judicial custody for a few days. We strongly felt at one point that they might arrest us under the National Security Act.
It was only after a habeas corpus petition was filed in the Supreme Court late at night and a hearing was scheduled for the next morning that the police formally arrested us.
Q: The police have claimed that you signed forms stating that you would not protest for a stipulated period. Is that true?
Ashutosh: I think that is all ridiculous. It was a standard statement about not disturbing the peace, which everyone signs after being released under Section 170. It does not mean we cannot protest at a designated protest site. No such bond can stop us from doing that, and we will do it.
Q: There has been criticism of how the CJP leadership handled the October 10 protest, particularly because the leaders were detained around the time of the protest and details about your arrival and mode of transport were made public. Has the party conducted an internal review?
Ashutosh: We had a meeting today with all the core team members, around 100-150 state coordinators and office-bearers. We had a detailed discussion and took stock of what happened on October 10 and, more importantly, what happened yesterday and the day before, because police brutality increased manifold yesterday.
Many of our leaders were brutally assaulted by the police. They were taken in buses, and policemen took turns beating our members. Four or five policemen would gang up on one leader and beat them. That is the kind of brutality we witnessed.
We held a detailed review meeting and took stock of what has happened over the last three days. We will come back with a different strategy.
Q: You promised a stronger return after the detentions, and Ajinkya Shinde announced a 10 am protest on Sunday. However, the CJP leadership was not visibly present in the way supporters expected. What went wrong?
Ashutosh: We were released only around 12 pm that day. Depke had to leave because his grandmother passed away. Immediately after that, we addressed the press, but our team was very much on the ground protesting.
Q: Neha Bora remained visible on the streets and was detained repeatedly, while CJP’s senior leadership was detained or absent. When will we see CJP come out with similar force?
Ashutosh: You will see that on the ground soon.
Q: CJP has sought permission for another protest. What will you do if the police refuse permission again?
Ashutosh: Let them get back to us. We should still have some trust left in the Delhi Police. I know that nothing they have done in the last few months invites that trust, but let us see what they come back with in the next 24 hours. Almost 12 hours have already passed (as of 11pm on Oct 12 when HT interviewed Ranka), so let us see what the next 12 hours show.
Q: Several videos show people carrying lathis and dandas moving around freely, while journalists, including accredited journalists, have been arrested in large numbers. What is your response?
Ashutosh: This is worse than the Emergency. Even during the Emergency, trains were not stopped, right?
The kind of brutality we have seen in the last 48 hours shows that the government is really scared. As we say in Hindi, raja ki jaan tote mein hai (the king’s life is in the parrot). That is exactly what is happening.
This was a fight against Gyanesh Kumar, but clearly Narendra Modi and Amit Shah have taken it upon themselves. That means there is some strong confluence, some direct relationship between Gyanesh Kumar and Narendra Modi. That is why there is so much brutality and police deployment: they have to protect Gyanesh Kumar at any cost.
Q: Why is CJP not uniting with the Opposition?
Ashutosh: That is a narrative you are free to push, but we have been supportive of all forms of protests on the ground that call for Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation.
Working together does not always mean that everyone has to appear on the same platform, at the same time, for it to count as unity. That is not how it works. We support all forms of protest that align with our agenda.
The BJP likes to push this narrative: why did the Opposition not join the October 10 protest, and why did CJP not join the October 12 protest? That is not how we look at it. Pressure has to be applied from different directions, and that is when the government will budge.
The BJP is really scared, and that is why it wants to create a rift between the Opposition and CJP.
Q: So, you are saying there is no rift between the Opposition and CJP?
Ashutosh: There is no rift between the Opposition and CJP.
Q: You said the leadership discussed a new strategy today. Can you share any details about what CJP plans to do next?
Ashutosh: Let the 24-hour window for the strategy call end, and I think you will know more about it.