Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) co-convener Saurav Das has alleged that the government is planning to arrest him and other party leaders ahead of the group’s proposed October 10 protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar.
Das made the allegation in a post on X, naming CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, Ashutosh Ranka and Ratna Singh among those he claimed could be arrested. He did not provide evidence or details to substantiate the allegation.
“The government is planning on arresting me, Abhijeet, Ashutosh, Ratna and other Cockroach Janta Party leaders,” Das claimed.
He also warned that any such action would be counterproductive and urged young people to continue what he described as a fight for their rights and future.
CJP announces October 10 protest
The CJP has announced a fresh protest at Jantar Mantar on October 10 if Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar does not resign.
The group has been protesting over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and has accused the Election Commission of compromising voters’ rights. These allegations have not been independently established.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke announced the October 10 protest after the group held a demonstration at Mumbai’s Shivaji Park.
Dipke said the protest would be peaceful and called on people who support free and fair elections to participate.
CJP refers to July protest violence
Das’s latest claim comes amid continuing tensions following the CJP’s July protest at Jantar Mantar.
The earlier demonstration followed weeks of protests and a hunger strike, with protesters attempting to march towards Parliament. Police used tear gas and baton charges after demonstrators attempted to breach barricades.
The Delhi Police maintained that force became necessary after the protesters turned violent.
The handling of the July protest has since remained a point of contention, with the CJP alleging excessive use of force by security personnel.
ECI row at centre of protests
The CJP’s protests are part of a wider political dispute over the Election Commission and the SIR exercise.
An Indian Express investigation reported that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections at least 14 times over 10 months regarding decisions and procedures linked to the poll panel.
The Election Commission has rejected the suggestion that the reported differences affected the validity of its decisions, saying differing views and observations are part of institutional deliberations.
The ECI has maintained that major decisions, including the SIR exercise, were taken unanimously by the full Commission.
The CJP’s October 10 protest is expected to keep the controversy over the Election Commission, SIR and the reported internal differences among the commissioners in the spotlight.
