Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the Cockroach Janta Party, posted on X that Delhi Police had taken three of his party’s leaders—Saurav Das, Ashu Ranka and Ajinkya Shinde—into custody after they unfurled the national flag at Jantar Mantar on Tuesday, 12 October 2024.
The detained men were arrested when police officers breached a high‑metal barricade that surrounded the Jantar Mantar plaza, a move the party says violated the rule of law.
‘How can police stop lawyers from meeting them? This is kidnapping because the police are not following the rule of law,’ Dipke blasted, demanding that legal counsel be allowed to see the detainees.
Delhi Police officials countered that the arrests were lawful, citing a new security directive that removed Jantar Mantar Road from the list of designated protest sites and limits demonstrations to Ramlila Maidan, Burari Ground and CBD Ground.
The CJP’s legal team has filed a petition with the Delhi High Court, arguing that the detentions constitute an unlawful deprivation of liberty.
In the crowd outside Jantar Mantar, 58‑year‑old protester Meera Joshi said the flag‑unfurling was a symbol of patriotism, not a crime, and she fears the police crackdown will silence dissent.