New Delhi [India], October 13 (ANI): Delhi Police on Tuesday detained Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) activists Ashutosh Ranka, Saurav Das, and Ajinkya Shinde after they attempted to break the cordon and enter Jantar Mantar after it had been denotified as a protest spot.
"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," CJP's Abhijeet Dipke posted on X.
Ranka in his post said, "Hands Off Jantar Mantar."
The group had gathered at the protest site in the early hours of the morning. According to reports, security personnel arrived shortly after the protesters began their demonstration and took them into custody, leading to their removal from the venue.
Earlier, Dipke posted his opposition to the denotification of Jantar Mantar as a protest site.
"Delhi is once again flooded with people standing up to save democracy. If Modi thinks taking away Jantar Mantar will put an end to protests, he is mistaken. Jantar Mantar is not just a location but a spirit of resistance that nobody can ever take away. Today, Modi denotified Jantar Mantar as a designated protest site. Tomorrow, he will denotify democracy itself. The dictator’s problem was never the protest site. It was the very idea of people protesting," he said.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh had also criticised the denotification of Jantar Mantar as a designated protest site, accusing the government of restricting democratic protests and targeting the right to dissent.
In a post on X, Ramesh alleged that the move reflected the panic within the Prime Minister and Home Minister's leadership, claiming that Jantar Mantar would no longer serve as a place where democracy received a regular boost.
“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, Jantar Mantar on Monday was de-notified as a designated venue for organising protests and demonstrations in Delhi, with the Delhi Police designating three new locations for the purpose.
The three new designated protest venues are Ramlila Ground, Burari Ground and CBD Ground in East Delhi. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had constituted a committee to examine alternative venues for citizens to exercise their right to organise protests and demonstrations in place of the existing designated site.
Based on the committee's recommendations, Jantar Mantar has been de-notified as a protest venue, the notice stated. (ANI)
Police detain CJP's Saurav Das, Ranka and Ajinkya as they attempt to breach Jantar Mantar
