Three leaders of the Cockroach Janta Party, Ashutosh Ranka, Saurav Das and Ajinkya Shinde, have been arrested by Delhi Police for allegedly trespassing at Jantar Mantar during a protest against the removal of its designated protest-site status.
A special executive magistrate court on Wednesday remanded Ranka and Das to five days of judicial custody, while Shinde was released on a personal bond, the party’s campaign said.
The three leaders and several other campaign members were detained on Tuesday after they entered Jantar Mantar to protest the authorities’ decision to denotify the site as an authorised venue for demonstrations.
The leaders have also been accused of violating a bond and obstructing a public servant from performing official duties, said Ratna Singh, the campaign’s head of legal affairs.
Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi criticised the arrests, saying peaceful protesters could not be jailed for waving the national flag at Jantar Mantar. He described the action as an act of cowardice and said the site belonged to the people of India.
Singh alleged that the leaders were not allowed to meet their lawyers until late Tuesday night. She accused the police of acting on orders from senior authorities rather than following the law.
The protesters had gone to the site only to hoist the national flag, she said, describing their detention and arrest as illegal. Police said the arrests were preventive, according to ANI.
The arrests came days after Ranka, Das and party founder Abhijeet Dipke were detained aboard an aircraft after it landed in Delhi on Saturday, ahead of a planned demonstration demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. A magistrate court on Sunday ordered their release on the condition that they maintain peace for one year.
After Wednesday’s remand order, Dipke questioned why raising the national flag at Jantar Mantar had become an offence. He also criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the handling of protests, saying the government should not use what he described as tactics to suppress dissent.
The latest action follows the Delhi Police’s decision to remove Jantar Mantar from the list of designated protest sites. The decision was based on recommendations from a committee constituted by the Union home ministry, according to reports.
The police told the Delhi High Court on Tuesday that the decision followed a Supreme Court order and was intended to identify alternative venues where people could exercise their democratic rights without compromising public safety, the Hindustan Times reported.
The High Court was hearing a petition filed by Indian Youth Congress president Uday Bhanu Chib challenging the refusal to grant permission for a protest at Jantar Mantar. Justice Amit Mahajan issued notice on the plea and listed the matter for further hearing on November 17, the newspaper reported.
The police have identified Ramlila Ground in central Delhi, Burari Ground in the north and CBD Ground in Shahdara in the east as alternative protest venues.
The restrictions come amid demonstrations by the Cockroach Janta Party, opposition parties and student groups seeking Kumar’s resignation over concerns about the Election Commission’s functioning and its handling of the special intensive revision of electoral rolls.
The party had staged a sit-in at Jantar Mantar from June 20 to July 28 over alleged examination irregularities. The protest was followed by the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, according to the campaign’s account.
Support Independent Media
Click Here and Join the Membership of Millat Times to Support Independent Media.
Support Millat Times