New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi Wednesday lashed out at the Modi government after Cockroach Janta Party leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were sent to judicial custody, saying waving the tricolour at Jantar Mantar in a peaceful protest is not a crime and jailing youth for it is an act of cowardice.
Gandhi also said Jantar Mantar belongs to the people of India and asserted that “we will reclaim it”.
“Waving the Tricolour at Jantar Mantar in a peaceful protest is not a crime. Jailing youth for it is an act of cowardice. Students. Youth. Journalists. The INDIA bloc. Different banners, one cause. All protests are one: citizens demanding their constitutional rights,” the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said.
“Jantar Mantar belongs to the people of India. We will reclaim it,” Gandhi added.
His remarks came after Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leaders Das and Ranka were sent to five-day judicial custody and lodged in Tihar Jail for allegedly violating their peace bonds and trespassing into Jantar Mantar, which has been denotified as a protest area, police said.
Their associate Ajinkya Shinde was bound down to maintain peace and good behaviour for six months and released on a personal bond and a surety of Rs 5,000, police said.
The three were produced before a Special Executive Magistrate Wednesday morning.
The CJP leaders were detained early Tuesday after they allegedly breached barricades and entered the Jantar Mantar area without authorisation, raised slogans demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation, and erected a national flag there.
They were booked on charges, including trespassing, violation of prohibitory orders, breach of peace bond, and obstructing a public servant from discharging official duties, sources said.
Das and Ranka had signed bonds to maintain peace for a year after they were detained Saturday, they said.