New Delhi: Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) spokesperson Saurav Das has alleged that the government is planning to arrest several of the party’s senior leaders ahead of its October 10 protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, where the group is demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.
In a post on X, Das named CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, Ashutosh Ranka and Ratna Singh among those he claimed could be arrested. He did not provide evidence to support the allegation.
Das said the party’s movement would continue even if its leaders were detained. He called on supporters to participate in the planned protest and said the group was prepared to face legal action.
The CJP has announced a major demonstration at Jantar Mantar on October 10 over its allegations concerning the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and its demand for Kumar’s resignation. The allegations made by the group regarding voter-list manipulation have not been independently established.
CJP Announces ‘Jantar Mantar 2.0’
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke announced the October 10 protest during a rally at Mumbai’s Shivaji Park on October 2. He described the planned Delhi demonstration as “Jantar Mantar 2.0” and urged supporters from across the country to travel to the capital.
The Mumbai rally drew thousands of supporters. During his speech, Dipke criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and CEC Gyanesh Kumar. He also criticised the RSS and raised concerns over electoral processes.
Dipke alleged that voter deletions had influenced election outcomes in favour of the BJP and questioned the integrity of the electoral process. These claims remain allegations and have not been independently established.
Earlier Police Detention
The CJP has also had recent encounters with police during its protests. On October 1, Dipke was briefly detained by Mumbai Police at Marine Drive after appearing with supporters carrying placards demanding action against CEC Gyanesh Kumar. He was taken to Marine Drive Police Station and later released.
The CJP emerged in May as an online political-satire movement and later expanded its activities into street protests. Its name is a play on the BJP. The party’s official X account was withheld in India on May 21.
The proposed October 10 demonstration is part of the CJP’s wider campaign seeking the resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar and changes to the electoral-roll revision process.
