Delhi Police detain Abhijeet Dipke, Saurav Das, Ranka ahead of Jantar Mantar protest seeking CEC's ouster
New Delhi, Oct 10 (UNI) Three leaders of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), including its founder Abhijeet Dipke, were detained by Delhi Police on Saturday after their flight from Mumbai landed at Indira Gandhi International Airport, ahead of a planned protest demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Dipke, along with CJP members Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, was detained from the aircraft shortly after it landed, according to the party and a video shared by Dipke on Instagram. Police personnel entered the Air India flight as the leaders were preparing to disembark, triggering a heated exchange between them and the officers.
In the video, Dipke was seen questioning the police action and asking officers why they had not waited for the passengers to leave the aircraft. "You could have waited till we came out. Come arrest us, we are not afraid," he told the women police personnel who boarded the plane. Dipke told officers who came to detain him , saying "I have come here to be arrested; arrest me." The three leaders were subsequently taken away from the airport by police personnel. As per reports police has created 10 detention centres .
The CJP condemned what it described as the "authoritarian detention" of its leaders, accusing the police of deliberately preventing them from participating in the planned demonstrations. "This pre-planned interception by the Delhi Police aims to cripple the leadership of today's peaceful demonstrations before they even reach the protest site.
The CJP denounces this blatant violation of freedom of movement and demands the immediate, unconditional release of Dipke, Das, and Ranka," the party said in a statement. The protest, organised by the CJP and several Left organisations, was planned at Jantar Mantar to demand Kumar's resignation and the withdrawal of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The detentions came amid heightened security restrictions in the capital ahead of the demonstrations. YouTuber Dhruv Rathee and Ratna Singh, head of the CJP's legal cell, were also detained at their homes earlier on Saturday, the party-related account said.
As per reports Delhi Police has detained more than 400 people suspected of planning to participate in the protests from different parts of the capital overnight. Police had denied permission for the CJP protest on Friday, saying the application had not been submitted sufficiently in advance. More than 50 metro stations have been closed and dozens of train services have been cancelled while massive police and Central Armed Police Forces personnel were deployed to maintain law and order.
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