New Delhi: Abhijeet Deepak, founder of the political satire movement Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), shared a photo on Wednesday, allegedly showing party workers Saurav Das, Ashutosh Ranka, and Ajinkya Shinde inside the Parliament Street police station. Deepak expressed support for the workers in Delhi Police custody, saying, “Nothing can break their spirit.”
According to Delhi Police sources, the CJP workers were taken into preventive custody for allegedly trespassing at Jantar Mantar on Tuesday.
Abhijeet Deepak shared the photo on X
Posting on X, Deepak wrote, “Cockroaches @AjinkyaCJP, @AshutoshRanka, and @SauravDassss are inside the Parliament Street police station. Nothing can break their spirit. What a wonderful photo @whattalawyer.”
According to the police, the activists tried to enter Jantar Mantar. This incident occurred a day after authorities removed Jantar Mantar from the list of designated protest sites. Police have registered a case and detained the activists as a precautionary measure.
Allegations of denial of access to lawyers
CJP leader Ratna Singh said that the three activists would be produced in court on Wednesday morning. She also alleged that the activists were denied access to their lawyers for several hours.
In a post on X, Singh wrote that the Delhi Police had detained Saurav Das, Ashutosh Ranka, and Ajinkya Shinde at the Parliament Street police station in connection with the Jantar Mantar incident. He said the activists have been charged with trespassing, violating bond conditions, and obstructing a government employee.
According to Singh, they were scheduled to be produced before the Special Executive Magistrate (SEM) court in the morning. He also expressed apprehension that they might be sent to Tihar Jail in judicial custody.
She claimed that the activists were brought to the Parliament Street police station in a private van around 3 a.m. and were not allowed to meet their lawyers until late at night.
In another update at 5:38 a.m., Singh said he had received information that the activists were likely to be produced before the Special Executive Magistrate at the Mandir Marg police station within the next hour. He added that the 24-hour detention period was about to expire.
Allegations of arbitrariness by Delhi Police
Earlier, Ratna Singh had accused the Delhi Police of acting arbitrarily and acting on the instructions of senior officers. She claimed that the activists were not allowed to meet their lawyers for nearly 24 hours and were not initially informed of the reasons for their detention.
Singh said, “We are currently seeing the Delhi Police working according to a specific ‘rulebook’, based on orders from above. They are following this rulebook, ignoring the law.”
He alleged that people who had reached Jantar Mantar to hoist the tricolor were also detained. According to Singh, lawyers and party volunteers tried several times to meet the detained members, but police officials did not allow them.
Allegations of Restrictions on Peaceful Protests
Ratna Singh alleged that designated protest sites were being removed from the notified list and that people visiting public places were being detained for long periods.
She said, “Criminals are roaming freely and attacking people, while peaceful protesters are being stopped. This is not right.”
Singh called the arrests of the activists illegal, claiming that the alleged crimes against them were not related to the charges. He alleged that detention was being used to prevent and intimidate people from protesting.
This development comes amid ongoing protests by the CJP and opposition parties against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar. The protesters are raising questions over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Review (SIR) process.