NEW DELHI – Two prominent leaders of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, have been sent to five days of judicial custody in Tihar Jail. The remand comes after their arrest for allegedly violating peace bonds and trespassing into Jantar Mantar, a site recently denotified as a designated protest area by Delhi Police.
Arrest and Charges
Das and Ranka were produced before a Special Executive Magistrate on Wednesday, October 14, 2026, and subsequently remanded. Their associate, Ajinkya Shinde, was released after signing a fresh peace bond. Delhi Police have registered a case against the duo under various charges, including trespassing, violating prohibitory orders, breaching a peace bond, and obstructing a public servant in their official duties.
Officials confirmed that both Ranka and Das had previously signed year-long undertakings to maintain peace following their detention during an earlier protest in Delhi on Saturday.
Jantar Mantar Denotification Sparks Controversy
The arrests are linked to ongoing protests concerning alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls and, critically, the denotification of Jantar Mantar as a protest site. On October 11, Delhi Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar issued an order relocating protest venues to Ramlila Maidan, Burari Ground, and CBD Ground, effectively removing Jantar Mantar from the list.
The CJP has strongly criticized this decision, arguing that moving demonstrations away from the national capital's political heart diminishes the visibility and impact of public dissent. The party plans to convene a meeting to determine its future course of action.
CJP Alleges Suppression of Dissent
Reacting to the judicial custody, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke took to social media, accusing the government of actively crushing dissent. "Ashu and Saurav have been sent to five days' judicial custody. Their fault? Unfurling the Tricolour at Jantar Mantar," Dipke posted on X.
Ratna Singh, head of the CJP legal team, also voiced strong objections, alleging that Das and Ranka were brought to Parliament Street police station in a private van at 3 AM and denied access to their lawyers until late at night. "Despite these illegal actions, their spirits are high," Singh added.