500 villagers hold Rohtak police team for hours over attempt to stop CJP protest march

Nearly 500 villagers in Kabulpur village of Haryana’s Rohtak district surrounded a police team for several hours on Saturday after officers arrived at the home of Zila Parishad member Jai Dev Dagar to stop him from travelling to Delhi for the Cockroach Janata Party’s (CJP) protest at Jantar Mantar.

The confrontation began at around 6 am, when a team from Shivaji Colony police station, led by Station House Officer Rakesh Kumar, knocked on Dagar’s door while most of his family was still asleep. The officers said they had come to arrest him at his residence because he had announced plans to attend the protest.

Rather than argue with the police, Dagar made a few phone calls to alert people in the village. Within minutes, villagers gathered outside his house and challenged the officers’ action. They declared that Dagar would not be taken away and that the police team would remain there until a senior Rohtak officer arrived to explain the reason for the visit.

Villagers demand written explanation

The stand-off continued for around seven hours, ending at approximately 1 pm. The police team was allowed to leave for Rohtak only after the officers provided a written statement explaining why they had visited Dagar’s home.

Independent journalist Mandeep Punia shared a video of the confrontation on X. In his Hindi caption, he wrote: “Jab gaon ke log police ko hi detain kar lein toh tasveer kuchh aisi aati hai.” The English translation is: “When villagers themselves detain the police, this is what the picture looks like.”

The video was widely shared on the platform, with several users reposting it and adding their own comments.

Dagar said the villagers insisted that the police remain until the Superintendent of Police arrived and justified the action. When the officers later asked them to end the stand-off, the villagers agreed only after receiving the written explanation.

He said the note was important because, without it, the officers could later have denied detaining him or having visited his home for that purpose.

Police cite prohibitory orders and BNSS provisions

The handwritten note, written in Hindi and signed by the police personnel, referred to Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), which has since been replaced by the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS). The corresponding provision under the new law is Section 163.

The note described Dagar as a “Zila Parishad Counsellor” and stated that he had announced plans to travel to Delhi for the Jantar Mantar protest. It said the police had visited his residence to detain him under Section 172 of the BNSS, which empowers police officers to take action against people who resist, refuse or disregard lawful directions.

Dagar told ThePrint that he was not associated with any political party but believed in standing up for justice. He said the issue of alleged “vote chori” through manipulation of the electoral process had become a major concern in the country.

“People believe the Election Commission is using SIR to delete legitimate voters from the electoral rolls to benefit the ruling BJP. That is why I had announced that I would take part in the Jantar Mantar protest. It is my democratic right,” he said.

Dagar was referring to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, which has drawn criticism from opposition parties over alleged wrongful deletions of eligible voters. The exercise has become a major point of contention between the Opposition and the ruling BJP.

SHO says police were acting to prevent unauthorised gathering

Rakesh Kumar, the SHO who led the police team, played down the confrontation and described Dagar as a law-abiding citizen. He said the police had gone to the village because Dagar had announced his intention to attend the protest, which the authorities considered unauthorised.

“It was our duty to stop people from gathering in Delhi because the protest is illegal and does not have the permission of the authorities. Hence we went to the village to detain Dagar at his residence, and he too dutifully abided by it,” Kumar said.

The officer also addressed the videos circulating on social media, saying villagers were free to record and share footage. “We can’t stop them,” he said, adding that the villagers had treated the police personnel well throughout their stay.

The incident highlights the tensions surrounding attempts to prevent protesters from travelling to Delhi for the CJP demonstration against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Dagar maintained that his decision to join the protest was an exercise of his democratic right, while the police said their actions were intended to prevent an unauthorised gathering.