Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leaders on Sunday (October 11, 2026) vowed to continue their agitation against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and expand the protests nationwide, a day after they were detained upon landing in Delhi ahead of a planned march to Jantar Mantar.
Abhijeet Dipke, Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das, who were released from preventive custody on Sunday morning, said the agitation would continue peacefully until Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar resigned. Their release came as police maintained tight security across the national capital and detained another 100 people, according to the account provided.
“We are holding a protest march again today, and our agitation will continue until we get the resignation,” Ranka said at a press conference in Delhi. He appealed to people to join the protests, alleging that the police action had damaged the country’s image and created a “war-like” situation.
The three leaders were detained inside an Air India flight after it landed in Delhi from Mumbai on Saturday morning.
They were subsequently produced before an executive magistrate at Delhi Cantonment Police Station and released on a bond requiring them to maintain peace and good behaviour for one year, according to the party’s legal affairs head, Ratna Singh.
The CJP and Opposition parties described the detentions as illegal. Delhi Police, however, said the preventive arrests had been carried out in accordance with due legal procedures.
The crackdown extended beyond the CJP leadership. Members and supporters of student organisations, including the Students’ Federation of India (SFI), the All India Students’ Association (AISA) and the Krantikari Yuva Sangathan (KYS), were detained while attempting to march towards Jantar Mantar from different parts of Delhi. Opposition leaders and activists had also been detained on Saturday, when thousands were reportedly taken into custody and protesters were prevented from reaching the designated protest site.
Das alleged that police had forcibly seized the leaders’ phones during their detention and retained them for about 24 hours without following the prescribed procedure for seizing electronic devices. He expressed apprehension that the phones might have been cloned or tampered with. These allegations could not be independently verified from the information available.
The leaders criticized the security arrangements around Jantar Mantar, arguing that protesters should be allowed to demonstrate at the designated site. Das said the heavy deployment of security personnel had inconvenienced residents and heightened tensions, and urged the government to engage with the protesters.
In a related development, the Supreme Court on Sunday directed authorities to ensure that people gathering peacefully were not illegally detained. It also called for normal Delhi Metro services and uninterrupted internet access, subject to lawful public-order restrictions, amid the protests.
The political fallout continued, with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge saying that he and Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, had sought a meeting with the Chief Justice of India on Monday to seek intervention over what they described as “vote chori”.
The CJP’s agitation centres on alleged irregularities in the SIR exercise and its demand for Kumar’s resignation. The party said its protests would continue across the country until its demands were met.
Detentions continue in Delhi despite Supreme Court order
Delhi Police on Sunday detained around 100 protesters, including CPI(M) leader John Brittas, near Connaught Place as demonstrations demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation continued despite a Supreme Court order protecting peaceful, unarmed protesters from detention except in accordance with the law.
The protesters were packed into two buses and removed from the area. At least four journalists were also briefly detained near RK Ashram before being released.
Earlier, a special bench of Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana directed authorities to restore free movement, ensure uninterrupted internet connectivity and maintain normal metro and railway services. It also ordered the removal of prohibitory notices around the Supreme Court and other court complexes to ensure access to justice.
The directions followed petitions alleging mass detentions, movement restrictions and internet suspensions ahead of Saturday’s protest.
Ratna Singh, legal affairs head of the Cockroach Janta Party, criticised the alleged infringement of fundamental rights.
CJP leaders to seek date for fresh Jantar Mantar protest
Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) leaders, including Saurav Das, will visit Parliamentary Street Police Station at 10 am on Monday to seek a date for a peaceful protest at Jantar Mantar.
The leaders said Delhi Police had 24 hours to provide a date, failing which they would announce the protest themselves.
CJP leaders, including Abhijeet Dipke, Das and Ashutosh Ranka, were detained on Saturday during a security clampdown that prevented protesters from reaching Jantar Mantar. They were later released following a court order. Demonstrators, including AISA leader Neha Bora, were also detained and released on Sunday.
Dhruv Rathee threatens legal action over detention
YouTuber Dhruv Rathee on Sunday threatened legal action over what he termed “illegal detention” ahead of a planned protest demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation.
Speaking at a press conference after meeting senior advocate Kapil Sibal, Rathee alleged that around 20 plainclothes personnel entered his Gurugram residence at 7 am on Saturday, pushed his mother aside and took him away. He claimed he was taken to different police stations and denied phone access to contact his lawyer for nearly 23 hours.
Calling the police crackdown an “undeclared Emergency”, Rathee alleged that the Election Commission, courts and police had been captured by “two people”. He also accused BJP workers of turning peaceful protests violent.
Rathee reiterated that Kumar should resign on moral grounds and called for the Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition to select a neutral successor. He said the protest movement would continue despite restrictions and detentions.
(With inputs from agencies)