NEW DELHI, October 10: Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke and party leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka have reportedly been taken to an unknown location after being detained by Delhi Police at Indira Gandhi International Airport on Saturday. The development comes hours before the organisation’s proposed protest at Jantar Mantar against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
The three leaders were detained shortly after their flight landed in the national capital. According to reports, police personnel entered the aircraft and took them into custody before they could leave the plane. Videos circulating on social media showed a tense exchange between the leaders and police officers inside the aircraft.
Dipke, who had travelled from Mumbai to participate in the demonstration, was seen questioning the police action. He reportedly told the officers that they could have waited until the passengers had disembarked. He also expressed his readiness to face arrest, making it clear that he intended to participate in the planned protest.
The reported transfer of the three leaders to an undisclosed location has added to the tension surrounding the proposed demonstration. However, the precise location where they have been taken and their current status could not be independently confirmed at the time of writing.
The detentions come amid heightened security across Delhi, with police taking preventive measures to stop the gathering from going ahead. Delhi Police had earlier denied permission for the proposed CJP demonstration at Jantar Mantar, citing concerns over law and order, public safety and possible inconvenience to residents.
The CJP had planned the protest to raise concerns over the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The organisation has demanded accountability over the revision process and called for Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation.
The airport detentions are part of a wider series of preventive actions reported across the capital ahead of the protest. Other activists associated with the planned demonstration have also reportedly faced police action.
The incident has triggered fresh questions about the handling of planned protests and the ability of political activists to reach designated demonstration sites. While authorities have cited security concerns and restrictions on the gathering, the CJP has criticised the action against its members.
With the three leaders reportedly moved away from the airport, uncertainty continues over whether they will be released and whether the organisation’s planned demonstration will proceed.
The situation remains developing, and further details regarding the leaders’ whereabouts and the police action are awaited.
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