The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Tuesday criticised the removal of Jantar Mantar from the list of designated protest venues, terming the decision a setback to peaceful assembly, and condemned the detention of its leaders and volunteers by Delhi Police.
The party members were detained on Tuesday morning after entering Jantar Mantar with the national flag and demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in electoral rolls.
The development came a day after CJP representatives approached Parliament Street Police Station on October 12 to seek a date and time for holding a peaceful demonstration at the venue. The party said it had asked the police to respond within 24 hours before the denotification order was announced.
Those detained included CJP co-convenors Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das, along with National Organisation In-charge Ajinkya Shinde and other party members.
CJP founder and national convenor Abhijeet Dipke said removing Jantar Mantar from the list of designated protest sites would not end demands for accountability, arguing that the location had long served as a prominent space for citizens to raise public grievances.
Ranka questioned the timing of the decision, saying the party had approached the police to seek permission for a peaceful demonstration when the venue’s status was changed.
The party said the issue extended beyond its demand for Kumar’s resignation and raised broader concerns about citizens’ access to public spaces for expressing dissent. It also argued that shifting demonstrations elsewhere would not necessarily preserve Jantar Mantar’s historical significance as a centre of public mobilisation.
Jantar Mantar has hosted several prominent demonstrations over the years, including campaigns for transparency, demands for One Rank One Pension, protests by women wrestlers and farmers, and student-led agitations.
CJP reiterated that it would continue to press for electoral accountability and challenge the decision to denotify the protest venue, maintaining that it would pursue its demands through peaceful democratic action.
