On Saturday, they were detained at an airport. On Sunday, they were back out. On Tuesday, they were picked up again at Jantar Mantar. And on Wednesday, two leaders of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) were sent to Tihar jail. It has been a dizzying few days in Delhi, and the story now involves a de-notified protest site, a march to the Supreme Court and a stack of new FIRs. Here is how it all connects.

The court’s decision on Wednesday

Saurav Das, Ashutosh Ranka and Ajinkya Shinde were produced before an Executive Magistrate on Wednesday, hours after being placed under preventive arrest. The magistrate sent Das and Ranka to five days of judicial custody in Tihar Jail, and Shinde was released on a personal bond. Their lawyer, Abhisht Hela, confirmed the five-day custody order.

What police say happened

According to police sources, the three were detained early on Tuesday after they allegedly breached barricades and entered Jantar Mantar, which had recently been de-notified as a protest venue, and raised slogans demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Police registered a case that includes trespassing, violation of prohibitory orders, breach of a peace bond, and obstructing a public servant. They described it as a repeat violation of Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) and said all legal procedures were followed.

Das and Ranka had signed a bond to maintain peace for a year after being detained on Saturday, which is why a breach of that bond is among the charges.

Why Jantar Mantar was off-limits

The site that the three allegedly entered had lost its status only days earlier. A standing order dated 11 October, signed by Delhi Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar, de-notified Jantar Mantar as a designated protest venue. It was announced on Monday and replaced an April 2022 order. According to the notice, the decision followed the recommendations of a committee set up by the Union Home Ministry.

Police named three alternative venues: Ramlila Ground in Old Delhi, CBD Ground in East Delhi and Burari Ground in North Delhi. The Commissioner said a detailed new SOP for protests at those sites would be issued separately. The move came amid a standoff in which the CJP says police gave it neither a date nor a reason for its request to protest peacefully at Jantar Mantar.

What the CJP and its founder say

CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke reacted to the de-notification on X by saying the problem was never the protest site. After Tuesday’s detentions, he wrote that cockroaches carrying the tricolour had “sneaked into Jantar Mantar” before police picked them up, and added that “you cannot denotify the resistance”. After the custody order, he accused the Prime Minister of imposing an “unofficial emergency” and said the CJP’s movement and the INDIA bloc’s protest were for the same cause. A CJP lawyer has said that Supreme Court rules on arrest were completely disregarded, and the party has alleged that its leaders were denied access to lawyers for nearly 24 hours. These are the party’s claims, and police have not accepted them.

The week in sequence

• Saturday, 10 October: Delhi Police detained Dipke, Das and Ranka as they landed at Delhi airport, ahead of the CJP’s planned Jantar Mantar protest. Thousands of protesters and leaders were detained across the city, among them Mamata Banerjee and Arvind Kejriwal. Delhi Police said more than 3,000 people were detained, though one later report cited over 7,000. Dipke, Das and Ranka were held under preventive arrest for 24 hours and released on Sunday.
• Sunday, 11 October: Das and Ranka announced they would go to the Parliament Street police station to seek a date for a peaceful protest. The Delhi Police Commissioner signed the order de-notifying Jantar Mantar.
• Monday, 12 October: The de-notification was announced, and the INDIA bloc marched towards the Supreme Court.
• Tuesday, 13 October: Das, Ranka, Shinde and other CJP members were detained after allegedly entering Jantar Mantar.
• Wednesday, 14 October: The Executive Magistrate remanded Das and Ranka to five days in Tihar and released Shinde on a personal bond.

The INDIA bloc’s march and its aftermath

On Monday, Opposition parties led by Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge marched towards the Supreme Court after Chief Justice Surya Kant declined their request for a meeting, citing similar matters already pending before the court. Police halted the march at Bhagwan Das Road, near the court. A delegation of 11 Opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, Kharge, Akhilesh Yadav and Mamata Banerjee, then reached the court complex and filed a joint petition challenging aspects of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), titled Rahul Gandhi v. Election Commission of India. Reports say it was filed just before the filing counter closed for the day.

Delhi Police later registered multiple FIRs against INDIA bloc leaders and supporters, including Rahul Gandhi, Kharge and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, at the Connaught Place, Tilak Marg, Barakhamba and Mandir Marg police stations, for alleged violations of prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the BNSS. Police alleged that protesters tried to break barricades and that some used a mini-truck to push through them. The Congress and its allies have not accepted that account in anything we have seen.

Political reaction

Reports say Rahul Gandhi called the arrest of the two CJP leaders “cowardice”. We have only seen that in a headline, so treat it as unconfirmed until we have his exact words. The BJP has accused the Opposition of questioning EVMs, the Election Commission and the judiciary whenever results go against it, and has dismissed the CJP’s second round of agitation as a “flop show”. We have not seen a response to the custody order from the BJP or the Election Commission.

Sonam Wangchuk’s ultimatum

Ladakhi activist Sonam Wangchuk had warned on Saturday that he would consider a hunger strike or a march if the leaders and protesters detained in Delhi were not freed by Sunday. Dipke, Das and Ranka were released on Sunday, but Das and Ranka are now back in custody. We have not found any report of Wangchuk launching a fast or march so far, and we haven’t seen his reaction to the latest arrests.

The bigger dispute behind it all

Behind the arrests sits a larger argument over the SIR of electoral rolls and the Chief Election Commissioner. The Opposition alleges irregularities and wants Kumar to resign, and the SIR halted. The Election Commission and its supporters say the exercise is lawful, and 42 former judges backed that view in an open letter last week. The Supreme Court has said related matters are pending before it. None of those claims has been decided.

What happens next

Das and Ranka are due back before the court when their five-day custody ends, and their lawyers may seek bail before that. Shinde is out on a personal bond. The Supreme Court is expected to take up the Opposition’s petition, and the CJP’s next move at an alternative venue is unclear. 

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