Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday publicly backed the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) after two of its leaders, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, were sent to Tihar Jail for five days of judicial custody following their entry into the Jantar Mantar area in Delhi. The two were detained by Delhi Police on October 13 after allegedly entering the denotified protest site by breaching restrictions. On October 14, a Special Executive Magistrate ordered their five-day judicial custody. Gandhi criticised the action, saying that “waving the Tricolour at Jantar Mantar in a peaceful protest is not a crime” and called the jailing of young protesters an “act of cowardice”.
He also said, “Jantar Mantar belongs to the people of India. We will reclaim it.” Meanwhile, Delhi Police has defended the arrests, alleging repeated violations of the law, obstruction of police personnel and attempts to encourage others to break the law.
CJP Leaders Sent To Tihar
Das and Ranka were among CJP members who entered Jantar Mantar on October 13, despite the site having been removed from the list of designated protest venues. According to Delhi Police, the group entered the premises by allegedly trespassing through private property and the leaders had previously given an undertaking to authorities.
Police told the court that there were concerns the two could repeat the alleged violations or encourage others to do so if released. The court subsequently remanded both leaders to five days of judicial custody, while another CJP member, Ajinkya Shinde, was released on a personal bond of ₹5,000. CJP, however, has maintained that its members were peacefully protesting, waving the national flag and raising slogans.
Advocate Abhisht Hela, who is representing Das, Ranka and Shinde, also questioned the grounds on which the leaders were sent to judicial custody and accused police of making false claims in the court.
“They have been sent to 5-day judicial custody because of the presumption of the Police that they can commit a crime. Police lied in Court that they had given a call urging people to come there” Hela said.
“They had not given any call. They have not violated the bond. The separate complaint over Connaught Place has been misused here,” he added.
Opposition Against Voter Roll Revision
The confrontation is part of a wider campaign against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. CJP and Opposition parties have raised concerns over voter deletions and demanded greater transparency in the process, while the Election Commission has rejected allegations of political bias and said voters whose names were wrongly removed can re-enrol. The BJP has also accused critics of attempting to undermine the electoral process.
The CJP protests have increasingly drawn support from student groups, farmers’ organisations and Opposition leaders. Gandhi’s latest intervention follows earlier Opposition demonstrations in Delhi and marks a more direct expression of solidarity with CJP, with the Congress leader arguing that different groups protesting under different banners are ultimately raising concerns over constitutional rights.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
The right to peaceful protest is an important part of any democracy, but that right must exist alongside respect for lawful restrictions and public safety. The disagreement over Jantar Mantar, the arrests and the wider debate around electoral-roll revisions should not become another source of political polarisation. Authorities should ensure that restrictions on demonstrations are applied consistently and transparently, while protesters and political leaders should make their case through peaceful, lawful and evidence-based means.
Democratic disagreements are healthiest when they are answered with dialogue rather than detention, confrontation or suspicion. Do you think the government, Election Commission and Opposition should sit together and address the concerns surrounding SIR and the right to protest through an open dialogue?
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