New Delhi: Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) volunteers led by its leaders Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das staged a brief protest at Jantar Mantar in central Delhi on Tuesday, defying restrictions imposed after the Centre withdrew the site’s designation as an authorised protest venue.
Video of the demonstration show party volunteers climbing an iron gate and crossing a police barricade to enter the area. The group, carrying party flags, raised slogans of Bharat Mata Ki Jai and Inquilab Zindabad as police personnel attempted to stop them.
Delhi Police detain CJP leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka at Jantar Mantar!
Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) Chief Spokesperson Saurav Das and National Spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka were detained by Delhi Police after arriving at Jantar Mantar amid the party’s protest.
#CJP #SauravDas #AshutoshRanka #JantarMantar #DelhiPolice #DelhiProtest #BreakingNews #NewsMobile
— NewsMobile (@NewsMobileIndia) October 13, 2026
The protesters were subsequently detained by Delhi Police.
Reacting to the Centre’s decision to denotify Jantar Mantar as a designated protest site, Dipke asserted that the move would not deter demonstrations.
“You cannot denotify the resistance,” he said in his post accompanying the video.
In a separate statement, the CJP founder accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of fearing public protests and said the withdrawal of Jantar Mantar’s designated status would not prevent people from taking to the streets.
Delhi Police detain CJP leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka at Jantar Mantar!
Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) Chief Spokesperson Saurav Das and National Spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka were detained by Delhi Police after arriving at Jantar Mantar amid the party’s protest.
#CJP #SauravDas #AshutoshRanka #JantarMantar #DelhiPolice #DelhiProtest #BreakingNews #NewsMobile
— NewsMobile (@NewsMobileIndia) October 13, 2026
“PM’s fear is evident from the fact that he has removed Jantar Mantar as a designated protest site. He thinks protests will stop if Jantar Mantar is no longer a designated protest site, but that is not going to happen. Jantar Mantars will now emerge across the country,” Dipke said.
Three new protest venues designated in Delhi
The flash protest came a day after the Centre withdrew Jantar Mantar’s status as an authorised venue for demonstrations. The site, located in the high-security central Delhi zone, had long been a focal point for political protests and public demonstrations.
Following recommendations from a committee under the Union Home Ministry, three alternative venues have been designated for protests and sit-ins in the national capital. These are Ramlila Ground, Burari Ground and CBD Ground in east Delhi.
Delhi Police has tightened security around Jantar Mantar since October 10 and has prevented protesters from entering the area.
CJP, INDIA bloc protests over SIR controversy
The developments come amid demonstrations by the Opposition INDIA bloc and the CJP in central Delhi over the special intensive revision (SIR) controversy involving Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
The CJP had called for a protest at Jantar Mantar on October 10. Dipke, Ranka and Das were detained after arriving in Delhi that morning, with the three taken into custody from inside their flight, according to the account provided.
Thousands of protesters were detained over Saturday and Sunday as demonstrations across the national capital were met with a police crackdown.
Tuesday’s brief confrontation at Jantar Mantar marks another attempt by CJP volunteers to demonstrate at the site despite the restrictions, with the party signalling that the Centre’s decision will not bring its protests to an end.
