A New Delhi court has remanded two leaders of India's youth-led Cockroach Janta Party in custody for five days after they crossed police barricades at Jantar Mantar, a central protest site that authorities had removed from the city's list of approved demonstration venues.
Delhi Police said Saurav Das, 27, and Ashutosh Ranka, 30, were detained over alleged repeated efforts to disturb public order and violate the law. The two crossed the barriers on Tuesday and waved India's national flag at the site. Police also said their alleged use of social media to encourage similar action was considered in the decision to seek custody.
At the end of the remand, the court could extend the detention, grant bail or order their release. Das has worked as a journalist, while Ranka is an engineer who studied at the Indian Institute of Technology and the London School of Economics.
The arrests are part of a broader confrontation over revisions to India's voter rolls. The CJP and opposition parties accuse the Election Commission of removing voters in a way that benefits Prime Minister Narendra Modi's governing Bharatiya Janata Party. The commission denies wrongdoing and says the process is intended to remove duplicate, deceased and fraudulent entries. Media reports cited in the supplied account put the number of names removed since the exercise began last year at more than 133 million. Critics say minorities, particularly Muslims, have been disproportionately affected.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi backed the detained men and argued that peacefully waving the flag at Jantar Mantar should not be treated as a crime. CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke also praised their decision to enter the site despite the risk of arrest. Home Minister Amit Shah rejected the opposition campaign, characterizing it as an attempt to protect people improperly included on the rolls.
The police action has also drawn concern from rights and media groups. Human Rights Watch called on the government to protect peaceful protest and address concerns about voting rights and electoral fairness. Journalists marched in Delhi after reporters were detained during demonstrations, and the Press Club of India condemned attacks on media workers carrying out their jobs.
The dispute combines two separate questions: whether the voter-roll revision is being administered fairly, and whether police restrictions on a traditional protest location are proportionate. The Election Commission's denial and the opposition's allegations remain contested. The five-day remand does not resolve either dispute, but it increases the legal pressure on a youth movement that has joined established opposition parties in challenging the electoral exercise.
