Three protesters released by Delhi court
Members of the satirical political group Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), Abhijeet Dipke, Saurav Das, and Ashutosh Ranka, were freed by a Delhi court after being held earlier that day. Their release came with the requirement that they avoid any actions deemed disruptive for the next twelve months.
The three appeared before the executive magistrate’s court in Delhi Cantonment on Sunday after being apprehended on an aircraft shortly after arriving in the capital on Saturday. Their detention occurred as protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar entered their second day, fueled by claims of irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) voter roll review process.
An unprecedented security ring was thrown around the national capital on Saturday to foil large gatherings at central Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, forcing agitators to disperse into smaller clusters across the city.
Read Also: US Buys Russian Diesel Despite Sanctions on Other Nations
Police detained over 3,000 participants, including prominent political figures, before releasing them late Saturday evening. Among those let go was activist and YouTuber Dhruv Rathee. Attention has now turned to the Supreme Court, which will convene a special session to address a contempt petition over the complete suspension of Delhi Metro services during the protests.
Metro operations resumed on Sunday morning, with heavy security deployments across entry and exit gates, and buses stationed nearby to handle potential detentions. The CJP has asserted that street demonstrations will continue until accountability is fixed over the alleged deletion and manipulation of 13 crore voter records.
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has dismissed the CJP as a destabilizing opposition coalition. BJP leader Nitin Nabin accused opposition elements of collaborating with external powers to undermine India’s stability.
