Hours after Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leaders Saurav Das, Ashutosh Ranka, and Ajinkya Shinde were taken into custody during a flash protest at Jantar Mantar, the pressure group has raised serious legal and human rights concerns, alleging that authorities are denying the detainees access to legal counsel.
Allegations of Restricted Legal Access
According to CJP’s legal head, Ratna Singh, and legal counsel Advocate Pushp Sharma, a total of 14 individuals—including Das and Ranka—were detained and taken to the Jaffarpur Kalan police station. Party representatives claimed that law enforcement authorities confiscated the personal phones of the detainees and barred legal representatives from meeting them.
“The SHO of Jaffarpur Kalan police station has refused to let the lawyer meet them, while their phones have been confiscated, raising serious concerns. Under what legal authority are they being detained and why is their lawyer being denied access?” Singh stated on social media.
Context of the Flash Protest
The detentions follow a dramatic early-morning demonstration where CJP leaders scaled locked gates and breached barricades at Jantar Mantar, waving the national flag. The action came barely 24 hours after the central government officially de-notified the historic site as a designated protest venue, shifting future demonstrations to alternative locations such as Ramlila Maidan, Burari Ground, and CBD Ground.
While CJP founders hailed the breach as a successful reclamation of public space to protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, the latest round of arrests deepens the ongoing standoff between activist groups and Delhi Police over civic assembly rights.
