New Delhi: Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were remanded to five days’ judicial custody on Wednesday for allegedly trespassing into a private property to reach Jantar Mantar, a denotified protest site, and violating bonds requiring them to maintain peace, police said.
Their associate Ajinkya Shinde was bound down to maintain peace and good behaviour for six months and released on a personal bond and a surety of Rs 5,000, they said.
According to police, Das and Ranka were sent to Tihar jail for five days after the Special Executive Magistrate considered the kalandra (preventive police report) details, their repeated violation of law, and serious apprehension that if released on bail, they would violate the law again and instigate others.
They were produced before the Special Executive Magistrate on Wednesday morning.
The CJP leaders were detained early Tuesday after they, along with 11 other activists, allegedly breached barricades and entered the Jantar Mantar area without authorisation, raising slogans against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, and erected a national flag there.
Police said Das and Ranka, who were detained on Saturday as well, had signed bonds to maintain peace for a year.
The action against the CJP leaders comes amid heightened security in the national capital following a series of protests held by the youth-led outfit and other organisations demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.
Reacting to the development, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke slammed the Central government for crushing dissent.
In an X post, he said, “Ashu and Saurav have been sent to five days’ judicial custody. Their fault? Unfurling the Tricolour at Jantar Mantar.”
He further said, “Show some guts, @narendramodi. If you’re so determined to crush dissent, have the courage to officially declare an Emergency instead of hiding behind these cowardly tactics.”
In a statement, Delhi Police said that on the morning of October 13, Saurav Das, Ashutosh Ranka, Ajinkya Shinde and 11 other CJP members entered Jantar Mantar, which has been denotified as a designated protest site, by trespassing through a private premise.
“Police personnel deployed at the spot intervened and attempted to stop them. However, the protesters allegedly obstructed police personnel in the discharge of their official duties,” the statement said.
All 14 persons were detained, and an FIR was registered against them at Connaught Place Police Station under Sections 223a (disobedience to an order duly promulgated by a public servant), 332 (house-trespass to commit an offence) and 61(2) (criminal conspiracy) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita on October 13 and another FIR was filed at the Parliament Street Police Station under Sections 221 (obstructing a public servant in discharge of his public functions), 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), 132 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 121(1) (voluntarily causing hurt or grievous hurt to deter public servant from his duty) and 3(5) (common intention), the police statement said.
Sections 332, 132 and 121(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita are non-bailable offences.
In view of their alleged attempts to disturb public peace and violate the law, Das, Ranka, and Shinde were arrested under the relevant preventive provisions of law, the statement said.
“Their alleged attempts to instigate others through social media to engage in similar unlawful activities were also taken into consideration. The three individuals were produced before the Special Executive Magistrate, where proceedings under Sections 126 and 170 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita were initiated,” it added.
The Special Executive Magistrate court sent Das and Ranka to jail for five days and bound down Shinde to maintain peace and good behaviour for six months, they said.
