Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke and two other party leaders, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, were detained by Delhi Police after their flight from Mumbai landed in the national capital on Saturday, hours before the organisation’s planned demonstration demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
A video recorded inside the aircraft showed women police personnel approaching the leaders and asking them to cooperate as they prepared to detain them.
“I have come here to be arrested. Arrest me,” Dipke was heard telling the officers.
“No, this is not an arrest. Please cooperate,” the personnel responded.
Dipke then asked to be allowed to carry his bag.
The detentions triggered a strong response from the CJP, which described the police action as a violation of the right to freedom of movement. In a statement, the organisation demanded the immediate and unconditional release of Dipke, Das and Ranka.
The party had planned to demonstrate at Jantar Mantar against Kumar over allegations of voter-list manipulation during the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and changes relating to Form 6, which is used to apply for voter registration.
Dhruv Rathee and CJP legal head also detained
The police action extended beyond the three leaders arriving at Delhi airport. YouTuber Dhruv Rathee, who travelled to India from Germany to join the CJP leaders, was detained from his residence in Sector 56 of Gurugram on Saturday morning.
Rathee, 32, has more than 33 million subscribers on YouTube, 19 million followers on Instagram and 3.3 million followers on X. According to sources, around 50 Delhi Police personnel arrived at his residence to detain him.
Ratna Singh, head of the CJP’s legal cell, also claimed that she had been detained ahead of the demonstration.
In a video recorded from her car, Singh alleged that police personnel arrived at her home in the morning and instructed her not to leave. She said that when she sat inside her car, a group of policemen surrounded the vehicle.
Singh said she was eventually allowed to leave but alleged that the police had not given her any reason for the detention.
Hundreds detained as Delhi imposes sweeping security restrictions
The detentions came amid an extensive security operation ahead of the planned demonstration. Reports said more than 400 people had been detained overnight, while police and Central Armed Police Forces personnel were deployed across the capital to maintain law and order.
The authorities also introduced sweeping transport restrictions. Hundreds of train services were cancelled or rescheduled, while entry and exit gates at 45 Delhi Metro stations were closed temporarily. The measures disrupted travel for commuters and people attempting to reach the capital for the protest.
The police denied permission for the CJP demonstration, citing the late submission of the application and alleged violations of directions during an earlier protest.
According to the police, the application was received on October 7, only three days before the planned gathering. The authorities said applications for such demonstrations should ordinarily be submitted at least 10 days in advance.
Police also referred to alleged non-compliance with directions during a previous demonstration as part of the reasons for refusing permission. They maintained that the restrictions were intended to address concerns about public order, traffic congestion and security.
The scale of the measures drew criticism from the CJP and its supporters, who alleged that the restrictions were designed to prevent people from joining the demonstration.
CJP demands Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation
The CJP’s planned protest centres on allegations of irregularities in the SIR of electoral rolls and concerns over changes involving Form 6, which eligible citizens use to apply for inclusion in the voter list.
The party has demanded Kumar’s resignation and called for electoral reforms, greater transparency in the revision process and safeguards to ensure that eligible voters are not excluded.
The demonstration follows the CJP’s earlier sit-in at Jantar Mantar in July over the alleged paper leak in the national medical entrance examination. That protest drew widespread attention and preceded the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
Despite the denial of permission and the heightened security measures, CJP leaders had vowed to proceed with the October 10 demonstration. The detention of Dipke, Das, Ranka, Rathee and Singh intensified the confrontation between the organisation and the authorities as police sought to prevent an unauthorised gathering in central Delhi.