Hyderabad: Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) supporters gathered near Gurudwara Bangla Sahib in Delhi on Saturday after several party leaders were detained ahead of their planned protest.
The protesters responded to the party’s appeal to continue the demonstration, even without its detained leaders. Police personnel reached the area and detained protesters who had gathered near the gurdwara.
Reports said the protesters were subsequently shifted to detention facilities. The gathering came amid heightened security across the national capital over the CJP’s planned demonstration demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Stalin, Kejriwal Criticise Detentions
CJP leaders Abhijeet Dipke, Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das were detained upon arriving in Delhi. Reports said they were taken to separate locations, including Gurugram, Dwarka and other parts of the capital.
The detentions triggered criticism from Opposition leaders. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. K. Stalin compared the situation to the Emergency and called for the immediate release of those detained.
Stalin said expressing dissent was not a crime. He urged the authorities to respect democratic rights and release the protesters.
AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal also criticised the police action in a post on X. He described the situation as worse than the Emergency and alleged that electoral manipulation had helped Prime Minister Narendra Modi win elections.
AAP leader Gopal Rai termed the detention of students unfortunate. He questioned the action, saying the protesters were demanding Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation.
The CJP has linked its protest to allegations of irregularities in voter-list revisions under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise. The Election Commission has maintained that electoral-roll revisions follow established procedures, while Opposition parties have raised concerns about voter deletions.
The protest and subsequent detentions intensified the political confrontation over electoral rolls and the right to demonstrate in the national capital.
Now you can get the latest stories from Indtoday on Telegram every day. Click the link to subscribe. Click to follow Indtoday’s Facebook page, Twitter, and Instagram. For all the latest Hyderabad News updates and Follow us on GoogleNews
