CJP leaders Abhijeet Dipke, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka detained aboard flight in Delhi

Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke and leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were detained by Delhi Police from inside an aircraft after it arrived in the national capital on Saturday, the party said, as security restrictions intensified ahead of its planned protest at Jantar Mantar.

In a post on X, CJP announced that the three leaders had been detained from inside their flight and criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the police action.

“Shame on you,” the party wrote, tagging Modi and Shah in its post.

According to reports, police personnel boarded the aircraft carrying the CJP leaders after it arrived at Delhi airport. Dipke went live on Instagram as officers entered the plane, with footage showing an exchange between the leaders and police personnel.

In the video, Dipke questioned why the officers had not waited for passengers to disembark before detaining them. He was heard telling the women police officers that they could arrest the leaders and that they were not afraid.

Protest over voter-roll revision and CEC's resignation

The three leaders were travelling to Delhi to lead the CJP's planned demonstration at Jantar Mantar on October 10. The party is demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

The CJP has called for free and fair elections, the reinstatement of eligible voters whose names were wrongly removed from electoral rolls, and greater transparency in the revision process. It has also demanded that the SIR exercise be scrapped or that a neutral procedure be established for appointing election commissioners.

Ahead of the demonstration, the Delhi Police denied permission for the protest, citing concerns over public order and crowd management. The authorities introduced extensive security measures across the capital, including barricades, checkpoints and restrictions on movement around key locations.

Detentions reported across Delhi amid security clampdown

The detention of the CJP leaders came amid a wider police operation targeting people seeking to participate in the demonstration. Around 200 protesters were detained in Delhi, according to reports, while YouTuber Dhruv Rathee was also detained ahead of the planned gathering.

The CJP had previously alleged that activists travelling to the capital from different parts of the country had been intercepted. The organisation claimed that students and members travelling from Pune were forced to leave the Goa Express at Itarsi Junction in Madhya Pradesh and detained by police and Government Railway Police personnel. It also alleged that activists from West Bengal, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh had been stopped.

The party further claimed that some protesters were being sent back to their home states against their wishes and pressured to sign good-behaviour bonds.

Delhi Police said its restrictions were temporary and precautionary measures intended to regulate movement, prevent overcrowding, maintain public order and protect the safety of demonstrators and the public.

CJP vows to continue demonstration

Before travelling to Delhi, Dipke had said that he would not abandon the protest even if he were detained or arrested. CJP leaders had maintained that the demonstration would proceed despite the denial of police permission, describing peaceful protest as a fundamental democratic right.

The detention of the three leaders aboard their flight marks a further escalation in the confrontation between the CJP and the authorities over the planned demonstration. The party has continued to call on supporters to mobilise against the SIR exercise and demand accountability from the Election Commission.

The CJP's protest has become part of a wider political dispute over electoral-roll revisions, with opposition groups raising concerns about voter deletions and the fairness of the electoral process. The Election Commission and the BJP have denied allegations of wrongdoing.