Cockroach Janta Party leaders Ashutosh Ranka, Saurav Das, and Ratna Singh are heading to Delhi's Parliament Street Police Station at 10 am Monday to force a decision on their Jantar Mantar rally. The group posted on X that Delhi Police must provide a specific date within 24 hours. If the force fails to respond, CJP will announce its own protest call, effectively removing the state's ability to control the timing and logistics of the demonstration.
This ultimatum lands as the movement escalates. Protests demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls entered their second day on Sunday. Fresh detentions were reported across Delhi, Mumbai, and Pune. The Supreme Court, hearing urgent petitions over Saturday’s crackdown, directed authorities to ensure no illegal detentions occurred, ruling that peaceful protests cannot be stopped.
The legal pressure is mounting on both sides. Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi announced that opposition parties and civil society groups will march to the Supreme Court on Monday to submit a memorandum on alleged “vote chori”. Meanwhile, CJP legal affairs head Ratna Singh stated that leaders Abhijeet Dipke, Ashutosh Ranka, and Saurav Das were released on Sunday after being produced before an executive magistrate. Their release was conditional on a one-year peace bond, a condition the party labeled a “major legal victory”.
Tensions remain high regarding the treatment of protesters. Dipke claimed he returned to his village following his grandmother’s death, though his family and Delhi Police gave conflicting accounts of whether he was informed or given a chance to attend the funeral. YouTuber Dhruv Rathee added fuel to the fire, alleging that around 20 plainclothes men entered his Gurugram residence on Saturday morning and took him away without identification. “I was not detained, I was kidnapped,” Rathee said in a video posted on X, claiming he was denied access to a phone or lawyer for 22–23 hours and sustained injuries during the operation.
The next 24 hours will determine whether this confrontation turns into a controlled negotiation or a volatile public spectacle. Police must issue a date by Monday evening, or the CJP takes full control of the narrative.