Delhi Police filed an FIR against CJP leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka for trespassing into denotified Jantar Mantar and violating an alleged peace bond.
Published: October 13, 2026, 11:18 PM IST
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CJP protest at Jantar Mantar
Tensions escalated in Central Delhi on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, as Delhi Police registered an FIR against Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leaders Saurav Das, Ashutosh Ranka and several associates following their unauthorized entry into Jantar MantarMedia reports quoted police sources saying that the charges include trespassing, violation of prohibitory orders and a specific breach of a peace bond that Das and Ranka had executed with executive authorities following their earlier detention.
The legal action came hours after CJP workers scaled heavy barricades at the site, which was recently denotified as a designated protest zone. Raising slogans of “Bharat Mata ki Jai” and demanding the immediate resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar over alleged voter roll discrepancies in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process, the group attempted to reclaim the venue before being taken into custody by security forces. CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke condemned the detentions and FIR, maintaining that democratic resistance cannot be erased by denotifying historical demonstration grounds.
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Das, Ranka and a few other CJP members were detained early Tuesday after they allegedly entered the area in defiance of prohibitory ordersA police officer said the detained protesters were taken to Jaffarpur Kalan Police Station in Dwarka districtSecurity was stepped up in and around the police station after some CJP workers gathered there.
Dipke, the CJP founder, described the outfit’s action as a reclaiming of Jantar Mantar and asserted that the denotification of the protest site would not deter it from continuing its agitation.
Delhi Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar issued a standing order on October 11 naming Ramlila Maidan, Burari Ground and CBD Ground as the new designated sites for protests and demonstrations.
The CJP said the denotification announcement came on October 12, the same day its representatives approached Parliament Street Police Station to seek a date and time for a peaceful demonstration at Jantar Mantar.
The outfit has criticised the move, arguing that shifting demonstrations away from the political centre of the national capital would weaken the visibility of public dissent.
The latest detentions come amid heightened security in New Delhi following protest calls by various organisations against Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.
