CJP Leaders Detained Aboard Flight, Shinde To Lead Protest
The CJP maintained that the detentions would not deter its campaign and vowed to continue street protests until its demands were met.
New Delhi: Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke and two other leaders were detained by Delhi Police aboard an Air India flight shortly after it landed from Mumbai on Saturday, triggering protests by the leaders and angry reactions from fellow passengers. The outfit subsequently named Pune-based Ajinkya Shinde to lead its agitation demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Dipke, CJP co-convener Saurav Das and spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka were detained aboard Air India flight AI 2428 at Indira Gandhi International Airport, where police personnel entered the aircraft before passengers could disembark.
Videos circulated on social media showed the leaders raising slogans, including "Inquilab Zindabad" and "Bharat Mata ki Jai", as police approached them.
Dipke challenged the police action and said he had arrived in Delhi prepared to face arrest.
The detentions also drew angry reactions from some fellow passengers, who complained about the delay in disembarking. Videos showed passengers heckling the CJP leaders, with some raising slogans against them.
Anticipating his detention, Dipke had recorded a video announcing that Shinde, the CJP's national organisation in-charge, would lead the movement if he and other senior leaders were taken into custody.
Shinde, a computer scientist and former AAP functionary, has been involved in political and social campaigns, including efforts to improve government schools.
The detentions came ahead of a demonstration planned at Jantar Mantar against alleged manipulation of electoral rolls during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR). Delhi Police had denied permission for the protest, citing law-and-order concerns.
Addressing a press conference later in the day, Shinde said the organisation would continue its agitation until Kumar resigned. He announced another demonstration at Jantar Mantar at 10 am on Sunday.
He accused the government of attempting to suppress the movement through mass detentions and stringent security restrictions.
Shinde urged supporters to gather in large numbers and continue demonstrations wherever police prevented them from proceeding towards Jantar Mantar.
The CJP alleged that more than 15,000 people, including students, civil society activists and political leaders, had faced detention or police action. The figure could not be independently verified. Reuters reported that more than 2,000 protesters had been detained.
Shinde also accused the authorities of turning Delhi into a fortress by restricting public transport, closing Metro stations and deploying security personnel across the capital.
The organisation said it would continue demonstrations across the country against alleged deletion and manipulation of voter records. The Election Commission and BJP have denied allegations of electoral wrongdoing.
Nationalist Congress Party spokesperson Anish Gawande rejected suggestions of differences between civil society organisations and Opposition parties participating in the agitation. He said both were united in demanding accountability from the Election Commission.
Students' Federation of India leader Srijan Bhattacharya also called for broad unity among groups opposing the government's actions.
Meanwhile, the CJP's announcement of another protest on Sunday raised the possibility of further security restrictions in central Delhi. The Delhi Traffic Police had already imposed diversions across several major roads for Saturday's demonstration.
The CJP maintained that the detentions would not deter its campaign and vowed to continue street protests until its demands were met.