CJP leaders Saurav Das, Ashutosh Ranka among 14 detained, booked after Jantar Mantar protest; FIRs across block INDIA march

In this image from a video released on October 13, 2026, police detain CJP leader Saurav Das and other workers at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi. | Photo credit: X/@abhijeet_dipke/via PTI

Fourteen members of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), including leaders Saurav Das, Ashutosh Ranka and Ajinkya Shinde, were detained by the Delhi Police on Tuesday (October 13, 2026) while trying to enter the Jantar Mantar, a day after the police canceled the notification of the long-standing protest site and identified three alternative sites for demonstrations.

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The New Delhi district police registered a first information report (FIR) against the arrested persons on charges including unlawful assembly and disobeying an order issued by a public servant and started an investigation, an official close to the development said.

The detention came amid a widening dispute over access to designated protest sites in the capital, with activists criticizing the decision to remove Jantar Mantar from the list of permitted sites as a move that could distance the demonstrations from the political establishment and make it harder for citizens to press their demands.

Hours after the detention, CJP member Abhijit Dipke posted a video on X showing party members carrying the national flag near Jantar Mantar. “Cockroaches with Tiranga crept into Jantar Mantar early this morning before being picked up by the Delhi Police,” the post said. He added, “You can’t label resistance, Narendra Modi.”

Entered through the restaurant: the police

A senior police officer in Delhi told The Hindu that the protesters entered the area through restaurants and food stalls near the protest site.

“The stores serve as common meals for employees working in nearby offices and remain open and accessible to the public, except on days when there are major protests like October 10,” the officer said.

The cockroaches with Tiranga sneaked into Jantar Mantar early this morning before being picked up by the Delhi Police. @AshutoshRanka, @SauravDassss, @AjinkyaCJP along with other team members have been detained. You can’t label resistance, @narendramodi https://t.co/x7B40akCVO

— Abhijeet Dipke (@abhijeet_dipke) October 13, 2026

Since Jantar Mantar is no longer notified as an authorized protest site, the demonstrations would be illegal, the officer said, adding that the group has been detained and further action is underway.

The detention follows a series of police restrictions and precautionary measures around protests called by the CJP and other groups over demands for the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the scrapping of the Special Intensive Review (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Two FIRs across the INDIA block are marching

Separately, Delhi Police have registered at least two FIRs in connection with Monday’s (October 12, 2026) Bloc INDIA march through central Delhi, citing the absence of a permit for the demonstration and alleged damage to barricades and public property.

FIRs were registered at Barakhamba Road and Tilak Marg police stations.

The march came after two days of increased police action against protesters at the weekend amid demonstrations demanding Mr Kumar’s removal and the withdrawal of the SIR exercise.

Opposition leaders and supporters, including Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav and CPI(M) leader MA Baby, marched along Barakhamba Road towards the Supreme Court.

Subsequently, 11 opposition leaders filed a petition in the Supreme Court challenging the Election Commission’s decision regarding the SIR electoral rolls.

Published – 13 Oct 2026 10:34 IST