Rahul Gandhi defends flag‑waving protest at Jantar Mantar, slams detention of young activists

Rahul Gandhi, the Congress leader and opposition head, voiced support for a peaceful demonstration at Jantar Mantar and denounced the arrest of two young protesters. The two men, identified as Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka of the Cockroach Janata Party, were ordered to spend five days in judicial custody after police detained them for unfurling the national flag near the site. Gandhi posted on X that displaying the Tricolour in a non‑violent rally does not constitute a crime and that imprisoning the participants shows cowardice. He added that students, journalists and members of the INDIA bloc share a common cause: defending constitutional rights. The protest leader of the CJP, Ajinkya Shinde, said the custodial action would not deter the activists. CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke confirmed the five‑day custody and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to display resolve, suggesting that a formal emergency declaration would be a bolder move than suppressing dissent. Gandhi also asserted that Jantar Mantar is public property and vowed to reclaim it for the people. ## Context The incident reflects ongoing tensions between opposition groups and the government over the use of national symbols in protests, a recurring flashpoint in Indian political discourse.