CJP leaders arrested as opposition rallies over Jantar Mantar crackdown
Delhi police arrested Cockroach Janata Party leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka after they entered Jantar Mantar, filing FIRs that cite provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita for trespass and related offences. The arrests were condemned by opposition figures including Rahul Gandhi and Mamata Banerjee, who called for the restoration of protest rights at the historic site.
Youth wings of Congress and allied parties organized sporadic protests, while student groups marched in Delhi demanding the leaders' release. The incident has intensified debate over civil liberties and the government's control of public assembly spaces.
How this was covered
- Centrist coverage is the most divided on this story
Why it matters
The case underscores growing tensions between the government and opposition over the right to protest in public spaces.
How this story developed
- Oct 12 Rahul Gandhi leads opposition march to Supreme Court demanding election chief's resignation
- Oct 12 Authorities shut six metro stations and deployed thousands of security personnel for a third consecutive day.
- Oct 13 The Supreme Court flagged fourteen procedural defects in the opposition’s petition.
- Oct 14 Two leaders of the Cockroach Janta Party were placed in five-day judicial custody after entering Jantar Mantar, while a boat on the Ganges in Bihar capsized, killing at least 13, mostly children.
- Oct 15 Opposition leaders announced a coordinated rally to demand the release of the detained activists.
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