Delhi Police Arrests CJP Leaders Over Jantar Mantar Entry

Delhi Police arrested Cockroach Janta Party leaders Saurav Das, Ashutosh Ranka and Ajinkya Shinde on Wednesday, October 14, 2026. The arrests followed an FIR filed on Tuesday against Mr. Das, Mr. Ranka and other party members for allegedly trespassing into the Jantar Mantar area without authorisation. CJP legal head Ratna Singh stated that the charges included trespass, bond violation and obstruction of a public official's duty. According to Hindustan Times - India, police placed the three leaders under preventive arrest, and they were set to be produced before a special executive magistrate before 7 a.m. on Wednesday at the Parliament Street Police Station.

Political Reactions

Meanwhile, Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi hosted a meeting of INDIA bloc leaders, civil society members and student activists at his residence on Tuesday. During the gathering, he stated that the opposition stands together with one singular mission to restore democracy in India, criticizing the government's decision to denotify Jantar Mantar as a protest venue. In response, Union Home Minister Amit Shah slammed the opposition and told Mr. Gandhi to prepare for a defeat in the 2029 general elections, pointing to past electoral losses in states like Tripura, West Bengal and Gujarat. Congress MP K.C. Venugopal countered these remarks in a post on X, calling it the height of irony.

Context

Jantar Mantar has historically served as a prominent public protest site in New Delhi, making recent restrictions and denotifications a major point of friction between political parties and authorities. Protests and political friction involving student wings like the NSUI and opposition groups often center on electoral oversight and institutional credibility in the capital.