CJP leaders released after detention, vow further peaceful protests in Delhi
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Leaders of the youth-led Cockroach Janta Party were released from preventive detention and called for new peaceful demonstrations demanding the resignation of India's chief election commissioner.
Leaders of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) – Abhijeet Dipke, Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das – were ordered released by a Delhi court after nearly 24 hours of preventive detention following a large protest in the capital. The court also directed that no illegal detentions occur for peaceful assemblies, except as prescribed by law.
"The fight has just begun," CJP co-convenor Saurav Das said at a press conference, urging citizens across India to hold further peaceful demonstrations.
The Supreme Court, hearing a special Sunday session, reiterated that peaceful assemblies must be allowed in accordance with legal procedures and ordered the removal of a notice board imposing Section 163 restrictions around its complex. It also directed the restoration of metro and railway services, barring blanket closures.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) described the protests as an attempt to create a dangerous situation and labeled the CJP and opposition bloc as "anarchists." BJP National President Nitin Nabin and MP Bansuri Swaraj made similar statements, accusing opposition leaders of fostering unrest.
The CJP reiterated its demand for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, alleging the Special Intensive Revision voter-verification exercise has removed millions of names from electoral rolls and undermined the Election Commission's credibility.
India's Foreign Ministry rejected a statement from the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights calling for the immediate release of detainees, calling the remarks "unwarranted" and an interference in internal affairs.
Additional detentions were reported in Delhi and Mumbai, with activists, lawyers and journalists among those held. The movement's interim protest leader Ajinkya Shinde announced plans for further marches in Delhi and other cities, while the Supreme Court scheduled hearings on transport restrictions and mass detentions related to the protests.