CJP’s Saurav Das claims leaders may be arrested ahead of October 10 Delhi protest

Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) co-convener Saurav Das has alleged that the government is planning to arrest him and other leaders of the movement ahead of its proposed October 10 protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar.

Das named CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, Ashutosh Ranka and Ratna Singh, among others, in a post on X. He did not provide any evidence or details to substantiate his claim.

“The government is planning on arresting me, Abhijeet, Ashutosh, Ratna and other Cockroach Janta Party leaders,” Das claimed.

He said the movement would continue even if its leaders were detained, arguing that such action would not stop young people from protesting. Das said the CJP had “always been ready to face jail or worse” and appealed to supporters to continue fighting for their rights and future.

“This will be a big mistake. The young will not tolerate this,” he added.

The latest claim comes amid heightened tensions surrounding the CJP’s campaign against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

CJP plans October 10 Jantar Mantar protest

The CJP has announced the October 10 demonstration if Gyanesh Kumar does not resign over what the group describes as irregularities in the SIR exercise.

Dipke announced the Delhi protest last week after the CJP held a demonstration at Mumbai’s Shivaji Park. He said “cockroaches from across India” would march to Delhi and protest at Jantar Mantar if Kumar did not step down.

Dipke also said that if Delhi Police prevented the protesters from reaching Jantar Mantar, wherever they were stopped would become their Jantar Mantar.

The CJP has said the demonstration will remain peaceful and appealed to citizens who support free and fair elections to participate. Dipke invoked Mahatma Gandhi while saying the movement would follow a path of peaceful protest, leaving it to the government and Delhi Police to decide whether to respect that right.

Ranka, another co-convener, said the organisation had resolved to take the protest to Jantar Mantar and seek justice for people it alleges were disenfranchised during the electoral roll revision.

The CJP had previously given Gyanesh Kumar 48 hours to resign and warned of a nationwide agitation and an indefinite sit-in in Delhi if he did not step down. The organisation also launched an “Election Commission Thik Karo” campaign.

Mumbai protest drew thousands

The October 10 mobilisation followed the CJP’s October 2 protest at Mumbai’s Shivaji Park, where thousands gathered to demand Kumar’s resignation.

Dipke used the slogan “Go Gyanu go” during the demonstration, while protesters raised slogans including “Vote chor, gaddi chor”. Film and music personalities, including Shabana Azmi and Vishal Dadlani, attended the gathering, while Dipke was joined by Ranka and Das. Reports also said actor Naseeruddin Shah and composer-singer Vishal Dadlani participated in the protest.

Mumbai Police subsequently registered an FIR against the organisers and 400 to 500 unidentified people who attended the Shivaji Park gathering. The case was registered following a complaint by a local resident and includes allegations of unlawful assembly and wilful disobedience of a lawful order issued by a public servant. No arrests had been made in that case at the time of the report.

The CJP has described the Mumbai demonstration as a beginning of a wider campaign, with Delhi’s October 10 protest expected to be its next major mobilisation.

Election Commission row fuels CJP campaign

The protests are taking place amid a wider controversy over the Election Commission and the SIR exercise.

An investigative report by The Indian Express reported that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections at least 14 times over a 10-month period to decisions and procedures associated with the exercise.

The Election Commission has rejected the allegations and maintained that major decisions, including the SIR of electoral rolls, were taken unanimously by the full commission.

The CJP has cited the reported objections as one of the reasons for demanding Kumar’s resignation and has sought explanations from the Election Commission over the functioning of the poll panel.

Das had earlier described Kumar as “India’s Enemy Number 1” and announced the group’s nationwide campaign against the CEC.

As the October 10 protest approaches, Das, Dipke and Ranka have continued to maintain that the movement will proceed despite the possibility of arrests. Ranka has separately said that the three leaders have been prepared to face arrest since June 6, amid their opposition to the SIR exercise.