Rajasthan Police Detain Activists Ahead of Delhi Protest

Activists and workers belonging to the Cockroach Janta Party faced police detention and house arrest across Rajasthan on Friday, just one day before a planned demonstration at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi.

Detentions Across State

National spokesperson Deepak Baliyan was placed under house arrest at his home in Alwar after police initially detained him overnight on Thursday. Social media posts from the group stated that more than forty police officers in plain clothes surrounded his residence, while Baliyan expressed fear for his family's safety. The People's Union for Civil Liberties stated that although Baliyan was freed at three in the morning, law enforcement kept his phone unlawfully. Additional detentions of party members were reported in Sri Ganganagar, though local officers maintained that these workers only received counselling rather than being locked up. Party worker Yash Goyal noted that members intended to depart for the Delhi protest at eight on Thursday night before being picked up without cause. In Reengus town of Sikar, advocate and activist Sanju Verma was taken by local police on Friday morning, with the People's Union for Civil Liberties reporting that he was heckled and pulled away. National president Kavita Srivastava said the local station house officer advised Sanju to focus on local matters rather than national ones prior to his evening release. Dalit activist Geegraj Jodli also reported being confined to his home in Sikar by a large police force to prevent him from traveling to the capital.

Context

State authorities frequently restrict travel or detain prominent activists ahead of major political demonstrations in the capital to maintain public order. Civil rights groups often monitor these preventative police actions closely to ensure constitutional freedoms of movement and protest are protected.