Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were remanded to five days of judicial custody on Wednesday (October 14, 2026), a day after they were detained along with 12 other party members for allegedly entering Jantar Mantar, which the Delhi Police de-notified as a designated protest site on Monday (October 12, 2026).
The police registered two first information reports (FIRs) against the 14 members over allegations of trespass, disobedience of official orders and obstruction of police personnel on duty. Ajinkya Shinde, who was also placed under preventive arrest, was released after furnishing a personal bond and surety of ₹5,000, with an undertaking to maintain peace and good behaviour for six months, according to a police statement.
According to the police, the 14 CJP members, including Mr. Das, Mr. Ranka and Mr. Shinde, reached Jantar Mantar during the morning hours on October 13 by passing through private premises. Police personnel deployed at the site attempted to stop them, but the group allegedly obstructed the personnel in the discharge of their official duties.
The first FIR was registered at the Connaught Place police station under Sections 223(a), 332 and 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). These provisions concern disobedience of an order issued by a public servant, house-trespass to commit an offence and criminal conspiracy, respectively.
A second FIR was registered at the Parliament Street police station under Sections 221, 115(2), 132, 121(1) and 3(5) of the BNS. These provisions relate to obstructing a public servant in the discharge of official functions, voluntarily causing hurt, assault or use of criminal force to deter a public servant from duty, voluntarily causing hurt to deter a public servant from duty, and acts committed by several persons in furtherance of a common intention.
The police said all 14 members were bound down in the respective cases in accordance with the law. Subsequently, Mr. Das, Mr. Ranka and Mr. Shinde were placed under preventive arrest over what the police described as repeated attempts to disturb public peace and violate the law. Their attempts to use social media to instigate others to engage in similar activities were also taken into consideration, the police said.
The three were produced before a Special Executive Magistrate (SEM), where proceedings were initiated under Sections 126 and 170 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS). Section 126 empowers an Executive Magistrate to initiate proceedings when there is reason to believe that a person may breach the peace, and to require an undertaking to maintain peace for a period of up to one year. Section 170 empowers the police to arrest a person without a warrant to prevent the commission of a cognisable offence when it cannot otherwise be prevented.
The police said the SEM court remanded Mr. Das and Mr. Ranka to five days of judicial custody after considering the police report and the apprehension that they could repeat the alleged violations or encourage others to do so if released. Mr. Shinde was directed to maintain peace and good behaviour for six months after furnishing a personal bond and surety of ₹5,000.
‘Unofficial Emergency’
Reacting to the development, CJP founder Abhijit Dipke, speaking to the media in Maharashtra, accused the Narendra Modi government of imposing an “unofficial Emergency” and questioned why party members had been sent to judicial custody over their protest at Jantar Mantar.
“I want to tell Narendra Modi that if you want to impose an emergency in the country, do it officially. Why are you running an unofficial emergency where people are sent to five days of detention just for waving the national flag at Jantar Mantar?” he said.
“When did waving national flag become a crime? Such things did not happen even during the Emergency. If you have the strength, declare the Emergency officially. These people are cowards who are hiding behind the police,” he said.
Mr. Dipke alleged that Mr. Das, Mr. Ranka and Mr. Shinde had been detained since Tuesday (October 13, 2026) and had not been allowed to meet their lawyers. Referring to the remand of Mr. Das and Mr. Ranka, he said: “This morning, Saurav and Ashutosh were remanded to five days of judicial custody. What was their crime?”
In a post on X, Mr. Dipke said the leaders’ “fault” was “unfurling tricolour at Jantar Mantar”.
“Show some guts, @narendramodi. If you’re so determined to crush dissent, have the courage to officially declare an Emergency instead of hiding behind these cowardly tactics,” he wrote.
The detentions came a day after the Delhi Police de-notified Jantar Mantar as a designated venue for protests and demonstrations, naming Ramlila Ground, Burari Ground and the CBD Ground as alternative sites. The decision drew criticism from activists who argued that moving demonstrations away from Jantar Mantar would make it harder to draw the attention of political leaders and decision-makers.
The CJP and other groups have been organising protests demanding the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the scrapping of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The police have maintained that demonstrations at Jantar Mantar are no longer authorised following the site’s de-notification.
Published – October 14, 2026 06:34 am IST
