The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has alleged that the whereabouts of three of its leaders detained by Delhi Police after arriving from Mumbai remain unknown, with the party claiming that their families and lawyers have not been given information about their location.

In a letter to the Commissioner of Police, CJP organisation in-charge Ajinkya Shinde sought the immediate release of party convenor Abhijeet Dipke and co-convenors Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka. The party also demanded that the police disclose where the three leaders are being held and allow them access to their lawyers.

According to the party, the leaders were taken into custody inside their aircraft shortly after it landed in New Delhi on Saturday. They had travelled from Mumbai to participate in a proposed protest at Jantar Mantar against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

In his letter, Shinde claimed that 12 hours had passed since the alleged detention without any information about the leaders' whereabouts. He also questioned whether they were being held together or separately and which agency had taken them into custody.

The party described the lack of information as a serious concern, alleging that the detention raised questions about the legality of the police action and the leaders' fundamental rights.

CJP alleges pre-planned move to stop protest

The party has accused the authorities of detaining its leaders to prevent them from reaching Jantar Mantar for the planned demonstration.

In a video shared by CJP, Dipke can be heard addressing police personnel who entered the aircraft, saying, “We are here to be arrested, come and arrest us.”

Before the alleged detention, police personnel told the leaders that they did not have permission to hold the protest at Jantar Mantar, according to the account of events provided by the party.

Dipke also said the leaders were being treated like criminals.

In a separate statement, CJP condemned the action and called for the unconditional release of the three leaders, describing the alleged detention as a violation of their freedom of movement.

Why was CJP planning a protest?

The proposed demonstration was directed against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over allegations concerning the manipulation of voter lists during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and changes relating to Form 6, which is used for voter registration.