Opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, Arvind Kejriwal, MK Stalin, Aaditya Thackeray and Trinamool Congress MPs Mahua Moitra and Abhishek Banerjee, have expressed solidarity with Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka after a Delhi court remanded them to five days of judicial custody. The leaders criticised the action against the activists, questioning whether waving the national flag during a protest could justify their detention. The reactions came after Das and Ranka were detained on October 13 for allegedly entering Jantar Mantar by scaling locked gates and barricades, a day after the venue was de-notified as a designated protest site. The CJP leaders had unfurled the Tricolour and raised slogans demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi defended the activists, saying that waving the Tricolour during a peaceful protest was not a crime. He described the decision to send the young leaders to jail as an act of cowardice and linked the incident to the broader question of democratic rights. Gandhi also called for Jantar Mantar to remain accessible to citizens seeking to raise their concerns, framing the action against the CJP leaders as part of a larger struggle over constitutional rights and dissent. AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal also questioned the decision to remand Das and Ranka to judicial custody, asking whether waving the national flag could be treated as a crime. His reaction added to the opposition’s criticism of the police action and the restrictions imposed on protests at the venue.
MK Stalin Offers Legal Support, Warns Of Wider Protests
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK president MK Stalin expressed solidarity with the arrested activists, arguing that detaining protesters could encourage more people to speak out against the government rather than silence dissent. Stalin also pledged legal representation and support for the CJP leaders in connection with the case. His response came amid growing opposition criticism over the handling of protests at Jantar Mantar, which has long served as a prominent venue for demonstrations in the national capital. NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule also criticised the arrest of Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, who were sent to five days of judicial custody at Tihar Jail after entering the denotified Jantar Mantar protest site while holding the Tricolour and raising slogans demanding the Chief Election Commissioner’s resignation. The activists had signed peace bonds valid for one year following an earlier detention. Police have accused them of trespassing through private premises, violating prohibitory orders, breaching the bonds and obstructing officers. Condemning the action, Sule said displaying the national flag was not a crime and urged the Union Home Minister to intervene. She framed the case as an issue of protecting the right to peaceful protest and upholding democratic dissent.
Aaditya Thackeray Criticises Jantar Mantar Detentions
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray also criticised the detention of Das and Ranka, arguing that their imprisonment over a protest involving the national flag raised serious questions about democratic freedoms. The CJP activists had demanded Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation over alleged irregularities in the revision of electoral rolls. Their detention has since become a flashpoint in the wider political debate over protest restrictions and the treatment of opposition voices. Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra voiced support for the activists in a social media post, writing, “With you boys. We will reclaim this country from these thugs & looteras.” Her message was accompanied by a photograph of three young men posing behind a mesh screen. TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee also criticised the action against the CJP leaders, describing their detention after the Tricolour protest as an attack on patriotism. He used the phrase “Pakistanified Bharat” to target the BJP-led government’s handling of the matter. The TMC leaders’ reactions added to the growing chorus of opposition criticism, with leaders portraying the case as an issue of democratic rights and freedom of expression. According to reports, Delhi Police detained Das and Ranka after they allegedly entered Jantar Mantar by scaling locked gates and barricades on October 13. The venue had been de-notified as a designated protest site a day earlier. An FIR was registered against the activists and others on charges reportedly including trespassing, unlawful assembly, disobedience of a public order, breach of previously signed peace bonds and obstructing public servants. A Special Executive Magistrate Court on October 14 remanded Das and Ranka to five days of judicial custody. Another CJP leader, Ajinkya Shinde, was released on a personal bond.
