NEW DELHI: India’s Cockroach Janta Party raised concerns over what it described as "systematic delays and procedural obstruction” by Delhi Police and other authorities in securing the release of two of its leaders who have now spent five days in custody.
Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were sent to five days of judicial custody earlier this week after allegedly crossing police barricades to enter a restricted area as part of a campaign against the Election Commission. They unfurled the Indian flag and raised slogans demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, before being taken into police custody.
On Saturday (Oct 17), CJP’s legal affairs head Ratna Singh said she had expected the pair to be released within 24 hours.
"It is clear that there is an attempt to intimidate us,” CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke told ANI on Sunday. "However, we will neither be intimidated nor back down.” Dipke himself was briefly detained Friday while heading to a planned gathering in Connaught Place.
Delhi Police haven’t publicly addressed CJP’s allegations. Local media, citing police sources, reported that due procedures were being followed.
Police also filed a non-cognisable report against unidentified people for allegedly threatening a magistrate during proceedings involving Das and Ranka, according to the Press Trust of India.
CJP has maintained that Ranka and Das had done nothing wrong.
"Our intent has always been that people participate peacefully, whether in groups or individually,” she said. "They did nothing wrong.”
The furore was stoked by an Indian Express investigation last month that found Kumar’s two fellow commissioners repeatedly objected to aspects of a sweeping update of India’s electoral rolls that removed millions from draft voter lists. The poll body has rejected allegations of wrongdoing, though it recently made some changes to the process following widespread criticism.
Apart from the CJP and student unions, the opposition Indian National Congress has also staged demonstrations demanding Kumar’s resignation.
In a video posted on X, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party drew parallels between the agitation in India and weekend protests in Italy and France, alleging that demonstrations being carried out in the name of students were aimed at destabilising the countries rather than seeking reform.
"A similar attempt is being made in India too, but the terrorists forgot that this is a new India,” the party said, adding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s "decisive leadership is in place, which makes no compromise with the country’s peace and security.”
The protests are also spreading overseas. Famous YouTuber Dhruv Rathee posted a video on X of him speaking to hundreds of people at a demonstration in London’s Parliament Square on Saturday.
Student groups had also held a separate protest outside the Indian High Commission in London on Friday, where Modi supporters staged a counter-demonstration, according to local media reports.
At home, the demonstrations are set to continue.
The Samyukt Kisan Morcha, a coalition of farmers’ organisations, has called for demonstrations at district and subdistrict levels on Oct. 23.
The opposition Indian National Congress has received police permission to hold a rally in Delhi on Nov. 1, the Press Trust of India reported.
Political tensions are rising at a time when India’s strong growth story faces mounting pressure. The country remains the world’s fastest-growing major economy, but a weak rupee, foreign investment outflows and rising inflation are adding to the challenges facing Modi’s government.
He hasn’t publicly commented on the latest protests, though senior members of Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party have defended the Election Commission. - Bloomberg
