The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has claimed that impending government crackdowns and possible arrests of its leaders will not suppress the youth-led movement, vowing to continue nationwide demonstrations and describing any such action as “dictatorial”.
The remarks came after a police crackdown in Delhi that saw around 110 people detained during protests demanding the immediate resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.
CJP leader Ashutosh Ranka on Monday alleged that CJP activists Abhijeet Dipke, Saurav Das, and he will be arrested before October 10 under the National Security Act (NSA) or other equivalent statutory provisions.
Ranka declared that all three of them have been prepared to go to jail since June 6, emphasising that they harbour no fear regarding any potential action.
"Multiple sources have reached out informing that @abhijeet_dipke @SauravDassss and I will be arrested anytime before 10th under NSA/other equivalent provisions. All three of us have been ready to go to Jail since June 6. There is no fear about it," said Ranka.
He further claimed that the BJP-led government is frightened of their movement, asserting that the government is resorting to violence out of fear.
"But the ones hell-bent on destroying this country should be the ones frightened. And they are. As Gandhi said, “violence and hatred stem from fear”. The govt is frightened, and that’s why it is resorting to violence," added Ranka.
Ranka added that they have nothing to lose as they are fighting for a better and more accountable India. "We are 30-year-olds fighting for a better, more accountable India. We have nothing to lose. You can arrest us, beat us, even kill us. But you cannot stop us," declared Ranka.
Abhijeet Dipke further said that the organisation would continue its agitation against the government.
"If the Govt believes that the threat of UAPA, NSA or years behind bars will scare us into silence, it won’t. We are prepared to face whatever comes our way and, if necessary, spend months or years in jail, but we will not back off from our fight to save democracy. We follow the path shown by Mahatma Gandhi, and we will continue to resist peacefully and non-violently, no matter how much the State tries to intimidate us," he said
Dipke also targeted Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the proposed protests.
“Kitno ko arrest karoge AmitShah? 10 Oct ko poora desh aa raha hai,” Dipke wrote on X.
In a post on X, CJP leader Saurav Das said young people were now aware of their rights and would not accept what he described as “dictatorial action”.
“The government is planning on arresting me, Abhijeet, Ashutosh, Ratna and other Cockroach Janta Party leaders. If the government thinks that such dictatorial actions will work, then they are mistakened! The young generation has awakened,” Das wrote.
Das said CJP members were prepared to face the “worst outcomes” and appealed to people to continue protesting.
“We appeal to everyone to continue fighting for our rights and future, with or without us. We have always been ready to face jail or worse. But this will be a big mistake. The young will not tolerate this,” he wrote.
Calling for a major mobilisation, Das said, “The protests must continue. People of India should ensure the biggest mobilisation starting October 10th.”
The CJP has urged people to organise what it described as the largest protest on October 10 over the SIR issue.
The statements came a day after around 15 Delhi Police personnel were injured during a protest in the national capital, according to police sources. Some women police personnel also sustained injuries after being bitten during the protest.
Police sources said around 110 people were detained in connection with the demonstration.
Earlier on Sunday, the Indian Youth Congress (IYC) staged a protest march from Raisina Road towards Jantar Mantar, demanding Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation and accusing the Centre of shielding him.
IYC National President Uday Bhanu Chib led the march, with hundreds of youth workers carrying placards and raising slogans against the government amid heavy police deployment and barricading.
Speaking to ANI, Chib criticised the Delhi Police for preventing the protesters from marching towards Jantar Mantar.
“The question is that we are going to Jantar Mantar. Even the Supreme Court said that if you want to protest peacefully, you have to go to Jantar Mantar. But we are not being allowed because Modi and Shah have to save Gyanesh,” Chib said.
He alleged that the government was trying to protect the CEC and said the protesters would continue their agitation.
“They are scared; their theft has been caught. For the last year and a half, Rahul Gandhi has been exposing these thieves' thievery to the country, and now more evidence is coming out. The time for reckoning has come; the country's journalists and youth are panicking; they are resorting to violence against the youth, but they cannot escape this,” Chib said.
IYC National Secretary Roshani Jaiswal also accused the government of attempting to suppress the issue.
“This government is using every tactic to save Gyanesh, but Gyanesh won't be saved. Tihar is his real place and Gyanesh, it's done bro, it's done,” Jaiswal said.
Chitwan Godara, National Coordinator of the IYC Legal Team, also demanded Kumar’s resignation.
“Gyanesh Kumar must resign, but the BJP and its supporters do not know the meaning of the word accountability. We will keep protesting until justice is served, because there are other women too,” Godara said.
The controversy follows a report in The Indian Express that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had formally raised objections on at least 14 occasions over 10 months regarding decisions concerning electoral rolls, voter registration and the Election Commission’s technology systems.
The Election Commission, however, rejected the suggestion that the reported objections amounted to institutional dissent over final decisions.
The poll panel said operational queries, inputs and suggestions raised during the draft stage were part of its standard administrative and decision-making process. The ECI also said decisions regarding the schedule of the SIR exercise were unanimous.
(With inputs from ANI)