Two leaders of India’s youth-led Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das, have been sentenced to five days in Tihar prison for violating a ban on protests at Jantar Mantar, a historic protest site in central Delhi.
Background
The court's decision comes after the leaders jumped over police barricades, held up slogans, and waved the Indian flag at Jantar Mantar. This action was intended to protest against the recent crackdown on youth demonstrators in Delhi and the police's decision to close Jantar Mantar, which has served as the capital’s designated protest site for over 30 years.
Abhijit Dipke, the founder of the CJP, stated on social media, "You cannot denotify the resistance," sharing footage of his fellow leaders entering the site before their arrest on Tuesday.
Recent Developments
On Saturday, the CJP had called for a protest at Jantar Mantar demanding the resignation of Gyanesh Kumar, the election commissioner, who is accused of overseeing the disenfranchisement of millions of voters. The CJP, along with opposition parties and student groups, alleges that Kumar revised India’s electoral roll to benefit the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), a claim the party denies. The election commission has also refuted these allegations, stating that wrongly deleted voters can re-enroll.
