CJP leaders detained at Jantar Mantar amid protests against election chief

Delhi Police detained Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leaders Saurav Das, Ashutosh Ranka and Ajinkya Shinde on Tuesday after they entered Jantar Mantar in New Delhi to protest against changes to voter lists and demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

The CJP said its leaders were among about 20 volunteers who entered the protest site to reclaim it after Delhi Police announced that Jantar Mantar would no longer be designated as an official protest venue.

In a post on X, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said several team members had been detained.

Cockroaches with the Tiranga sneaked into Jantar Mantar early this morning before they were picked up by Delhi Police.

@AshutoshRanka, @SauravDassss, @AjinkyaCJP along with other team members have been detained.

You cannot denotify the resistance, @narendramodi https://t.co/x7B40akCVO

— Abhijeet Dipke (@abhijeet_dipke) October 13, 2026

“Cockroaches with the Tiranga sneaked into Jantar Mantar early this morning before they were picked up by Delhi Police,” Dipke said.

“You cannot denotify the resistance,” he added, tagging Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

A CJP livestream showed about a dozen volunteers jumping a gate and barricades to enter the grounds. They waved the Indian flag and raised slogans, including “Bharat Mata ki Jai”, before police personnel detained them.

The detentions came amid heightened security in New Delhi following calls by different organisations for protests against Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Delhi Police has deployed a large number of personnel across the city to maintain law and order.

Delhi Police announced on Monday that Jantar Mantar, an open-air observatory in the capital’s central business district, was no longer an official protest site. It also said three new venues had been identified for demonstrations.

Supporters of the CJP and opposition groups have held almost daily protests this month, demanding Kumar’s resignation over the voter list revisions. Critics allege the changes favour Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

A police clampdown had foiled the CJP’s plans for a weekend demonstration, with thousands of protesters, including CJP leaders, detained. Thousands of people subsequently joined a protest march organised by opposition groups on Monday.

Delhi Police did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday’s detentions.

Voter list changes under scrutiny

The protests intensified after The Indian Express reported last month that Kumar’s two deputies had raised several concerns internally about voter list revisions, registration procedures and digital systems.

The revision process, which started last year, removed more than 130 million names from voter lists. The reported breakdown included 28 million people who had died, 63 million who had relocated and 30 million who could not be traced.

Opposition parties allege the deletions disproportionately affect Muslim voters and other minorities, who they say are unlikely to support the ruling Hindu nationalist BJP. The Election Commission and the BJP have rejected allegations of political bias.

The Election Commission has said voters whose names were wrongly deleted can re-enrol. The BJP has accused opposition parties of trying to undermine democracy by questioning legitimate electoral processes.

CJP’s wider political protests

The CJP youth movement has mobilised protests in recent months over issues ranging from government school infrastructure to jobs. It has become one of the biggest political challenges to Modi and the BJP during their 12 years in power.

Earlier this year, a weeks-long sit-in by CJP supporters at Jantar Mantar forced the resignation of education minister Dharmendra Pradhan over exam paper leaks.

(With inputs from agencies)