New Delhi: Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leaders Abhijeet Dipke, Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das, who were put under preventive arrest following their detention at the Delhi airport ahead of the Jantar Mantar protest, were released Sunday morning after being produced before an executive magistrate.
They were released on condition that they would not “breach peace” for a year, CJP legal affairs head Ratna Singh said.
In a statement, the CJP called the release of the three leaders a “major legal victory”.
“Delhi Executive Magistrate Court has released Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leaders Abhijit Dipke, Saurav Das, and Ashutosh Ranka following nearly 24 hours of unlawful preventive detention by the Delhi Police,” the CJP said in the statement.
The CJP said the “arbitrary detentions” have sparked severe criticism and legal challenges amid an intense security clampdown across the capital over protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
“Finally Delhi police is forced to release Abhijeet Dipke, Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das. Cockroaches never die,” it posted on X.
Earlier in a post on X, the Delhi Police said the “preventive arrests” were done following “all due legal procedures” and that they were produced before the SEM Court, Delhi Cantt, on Sunday.
“A bail bond as surety bond of Rs 50,000 was filed for maintaining peace and good behaviour, for a period of one year, and they were released by the SEM Court,” it said.
The CJP leaders’ detention on Saturday came amid an unprecedented security clampdown in Delhi, where more than 7,000 protesters were detained at multiple locations, foiling protesters from reaching Jantar Mantar.
Several opposition leaders, including former chief ministers Arvind Kejriwal, Mamata Banerjee, Pinarayi Vijayan and Manik Sarkar, were also detained while attempting to join the protest.
The CJP has renewed its call for a protest at Jantar Mantar on Sunday as police continued its heavy security arrangements, with over 30,000 police and paramilitary personnel to be deployed in the city.
The CJP and opposition parties have been demanding the resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision of voter rolls.
