CJP names Ajinkya Shinde to lead Jantar Mantar protest as 3 leaders remain detained

The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has named its organisation in-charge Ajinkya Shinde to lead its planned protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, with founder Abhijeet Dipke and fellow leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka remaining in detention after being picked up from their flight upon landing in the capital on Saturday.

In a post on X, which was a pre-recorded video by Dipke, the party said Shinde would lead the protest for as long as the three leaders remained in detention.

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Dipke had recorded the previous night in anticipation of a possible arrest, in which he outlined the succession plan for the movement.

“If you are watching this video, it means that the three of us—Ashutosh Ranka, Saurav Das, and I—have been arrested,” Dipke said. He urged supporters to follow Shinde, adding that the CJP’s organisation in-charge would carry the movement forward.

In a separate post, the CJP alleged that the three leaders had been taken to an undisclosed location and were being denied access to their lawyers and contact with others. “WHY NOT JUST DECLARE AN EMERGENCY?” the party wrote, intensifying its criticism of the police action.

The detentions came ahead of the CJP’s planned demonstration at Jantar Mantar demanding CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation over alleged manipulation of electoral rolls during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) and changes relating to Form 6, used for voter registration.

Also Read: CJP chief Abhijeet Dipke, Saurav Das, and Ashutosh Ranka detained straight from flight after landing in Delhi

Delhi Police had denied permission for the protest, citing security and procedural concerns, and imposed prohibitory orders in the New Delhi area.

The CJP has condemned the detentions as a pre-planned attempt to prevent its leaders from reaching the protest site and demanded their immediate, unconditional release. The action came amid a wider security clampdown across the capital, including restrictions at Metro stations, train cancellations and intensified checks at border points.