New Delhi: Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) leaders Saurav Das, Ashutosh Ranka and Ajinkya Shinde entered Jantar Mantar on Tuesday, a day after Delhi Police de-notified the site as a designated protest venue. Police detained the three leaders and took them to Jaffarpur police station, according to party posts on social media.
In a post on X, Das declared that the protesters had reclaimed the site despite the restrictions.
“Jantar Mantar has been reclaimed. We have entered Jantar Mantar and now we are being detained. But this is a message to all of us young gen! We can do it! Gyanu, you’re done bro!” he wrote.
Ranka also posted on X, saying, “Fortress Jantar Mantar has been breached.” CJP leader Abhijeet Dipke shared a photograph of Ranka waving the Tricolour at the site.
In another post, Dipke said the CJP activists had entered Jantar Mantar early in the morning before being detained by Delhi Police.
“Cockroaches with the Tiranga sneaked into Jantar Mantar early this morning before they were picked up by Delhi Police. AshutoshRanka, Saurav Das and Ajinkya along with other team members have been detained. You cannot denotify the resistance, @narendramodi,” he wrote.
Ranka separately posted the message, “Hands Off Jantar Mantar.”
The group had gathered at the site in the early hours of Tuesday. A video shared by Das showed protesters raising slogans including “Inquilab Zindabad” and “Bharat Mata Ki Jai”.
The CJP has criticised the decision to remove Jantar Mantar from the list of designated protest venues.
In an earlier post, Dipke said the move would not stop demonstrations against the government, describing Jantar Mantar as a symbol of resistance rather than merely a physical location.
“Jantar Mantar is not just a location but a spirit of resistance that nobody can ever take away,” he wrote, adding that the decision reflected restrictions on the right to protest.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh also criticised the decision, accusing the government of restricting democratic demonstrations and dissent.
In a post on X, Ramesh said the move reflected what he described as panic within the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
“It is a definite sign of the extreme panic that has gripped the PM-HM duo that the historic Jantar Mantar will no longer be a place where our democracy is given a daily booster dose,” Ramesh wrote.
“The poisonous pair is embattled, and we have seen in the past few days how brutally they have dealt with peaceful public protests. Democracy no longer matters to them. It is all a matter of Demokursi,” he added.
According to an official notice issued on Monday, Delhi Police de-notified Jantar Mantar as a designated venue for protests and demonstrations in the national capital.
The police designated three alternative venues: Ramlila Ground, Burari Ground and CBD Ground in East Delhi.
The Ministry of Home Affairs had constituted a committee to examine alternative locations where citizens could organise protests and demonstrations. The decision to de-notify Jantar Mantar was taken based on the committee’s recommendations, according to the notice.
The CJP has been demanding the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.