The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Saturday alleged that Delhi Police had detained its legal team head, Ratna Singh, along with three other lawyers, and party leaders Abhijeet Dipke, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka ahead of its proposed protest at Jantar Mantar against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
The party claimed that Dipke, Das and Ranka were detained after their flight from Mumbai landed in the national capital. In a statement, the CJP condemned the alleged detentions, calling them part of a pre-planned move to prevent its leaders from reaching the protest site. It described the action as a violation of freedom of movement and demanded the immediate and unconditional release of the three leaders.
The CJP also released a video showing Singh sitting inside a car surrounded by several police personnel, at least 25, the party claimed. In a statement, it alleged that police had detained the four lawyers without disclosing the grounds for the action.
Speaking from inside the car, Singh said police personnel had visited her house in the morning but were told she was not there.
"We asked if they have any official notice, they did not have anything. They just said we have orders from above to detain you," she said.
Singh alleged that police personnel were repeatedly asking her to get out of the car and wanted to detain her at her house. "I am in a way illegally detained on the road," she said.
The alleged detentions came amid heightened security and restrictions in New Delhi ahead of the CJP's proposed 'Jantar Mantar 2.0' protest, seeking Kumar's resignation over allegations of voter-list manipulation during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and changes relating to Form 6, which is used for voter registration.
On Friday, Delhi Police detained around 200 protesters who were trying to reach Jantar Mantar for the proposed CJP stir against the Chief Election Commissioner. Sources said the protesters were detained across the New Delhi area, where police were using drones to monitor the movement of people attempting to reach the protest site.
YouTuber Dhruv Rathee was also detained by Delhi Police from Sector 56 in Gurugram, sources said.
Ahead of the proposed protest, police sources said more than 600 people with criminal records had been detained across all 15 districts of the national capital as part of preventive measures.
Meanwhile, heavy traffic jams were reported in several parts of Central Delhi on Saturday amid the deployment of security personnel to thwart the CJP's protest against the CEC at Jantar Mantar.
Checks along several key stretches leading to the protest site led to congestion and slowed vehicle movement. Barricades and heightened surveillance also contributed to bumper-to-bumper traffic across Central Delhi.
The CJP has also issued guidelines for those seeking to participate in the protest.
(With inputs from PTI)
