High drama unfolded at New Delhi’s iconic Jantar Mantar on Tuesday morning after the Delhi Police detained Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) chief spokesperson Sourav Das, senior leaders Ashutosh Ranka, and Ajinkya Shinde. The leaders were taken into custody while attempting to stage a demonstration and hoist the national flag at the site, which was recently declared a prohibited zone for public agitations. The police intervention has triggered a fierce political debate, with CJP’s legal head Ratna Singh and party founder Abhijit Dipake heavily criticizing the law enforcement agencies for alleged violation of fundamental human and legal rights.

The CJP leadership alleged that the detained leaders, currently held at the Jafarpur Kalan police station, are being systematically denied access to their legal counsel. Furthermore, the party claimed that Delhi Police personnel forcibly confiscated the personal mobile phones of Sourav Das, Ashutosh Ranka, and other activists. Expressing deep concern over the development, CJP Legal Head Ratna Singh took to social media, stating that the SHO of Jafarpur Kalan police station explicitly refused to allow lawyers to meet the detainees. She questioned the legal authority under which the police were denying basic constitutional rights to peaceful political representatives.

According to eyewitnesses, a group of CJP workers carrying the national flag unexpectedly marched toward Jantar Mantar from the side of the JDU party office early Tuesday morning. Police personnel stationed at the perimeter acted swiftly to intercept and detain the group. Officials noted that the Ministry of Home Affairs and Delhi Police had previously denotified Jantar Mantar as an authorized protest site due to security protocols. Instead, designated alternative venues such as Ramlila Maidan, Burari Ground, and the CBD Ground in East Delhi were allocated for political gatherings and public demonstrations.

Reacting sharply to the detentions, CJP founder Abhijit Dipake raised serious ethical and legal questions regarding the police action. “Since when has hoisting the Indian Tricolour become a violation of the law? Is carrying the national flag now considered an offense in this country?” Dipake questioned in a statement released on X. He emphasized that legitimate political dissent cannot be crushed through arbitrary police roundups. The protest forms part of a broader campaign by CJP and allied political organizations demanding the immediate resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in electoral rolls and voting processes. The CJP legal team is now preparing to challenge the detentions in court.