Cockroach Janta Party leaders detained at New Delhi protest site
About 20 volunteers were detained at Jantar Mantar a day after Delhi Police said the venue was no longer a designated protest site.
Cockroach Janta Party leaders Ashutosh Ranka, Saurav Das and Ajinkya Shinde were among about 20 volunteers detained at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on Tuesday, October 13, after entering a site Delhi Police had removed from its list of designated protest venues the day before. Al Jazeera, in a report credited to its staff and Reuters, said the volunteers jumped barricades to reach the site.
Why Jantar Mantar’s protest status changed
The Indian Express reported that Delhi Police named Ramlila Maidan, Burari Ground and CBD Ground as replacement protest venues on Monday. Police said revised guidelines for those sites would follow separately. The Cockroach Janta Party called the change an assault on the right to protest and peaceful assembly.
The movement was protesting voter-list revisions, Al Jazeera reported. The Election Commission denied favoring any party and said voters wrongly removed from the rolls could re-enrol. Delhi Police had not immediately responded to Reuters’ request for comment on the detentions; the report did not establish whether those detained remained in custody or faced charges.
Sources and context
- Police detain leaders of India’s ‘cockroach’ movement at New Delhi protestAl Jazeera (report credited to Al Jazeera Staff and Reuters)
- ‘Jantar Mantar no longer protest site’: Delhi Police; CJP respondsThe Indian Express
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.
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