'Fight Has Just Begun': CJP Vows Nationwide Protest After Delhi Crackdown

Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leaders vowed to widen their protest against alleged electoral fraud as soon as they were released from Delhi police custody on Sunday, a day after hundreds were detained as they sought to assemble near Jantar Mantar to demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar. Groups of young protesters tried to reach Jantar Mantar on Sunday as well. "The fight has just begun," CJP co-convener Ashutosh Ranka said at a press conference. "This protest will not stop until Gyanesh resigns," he added."The protests will happen not just in Delhi but the whole country," CJP leader Saurav Das said, also attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP for allegedly misusing the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls.CJP chief Abhijeet Dipke had left for his hometown in Maharashtra just after the three were released by a Delhi court to attend his grandmother's last rites.He later posted on X about the terms of their release: "Haven't signed any bond that says we won't protest. We will hit the streets again."Ranka, Das and Dipke were detained from inside an aircraft after their flight from Mumbai landed in Delhi on Saturday morning. They were placed under preventive arrest and produced before an executive magistrate in Delhi Cantonment on Sunday morning, police said. The magistrate released them on the condition that they do not breach the peace for one year.Ranka alleged the three had been "kidnapped" from the aircraft.Referring to the release condition, the CJP also wrote on X, "No CJP leader has signed any bond that says they will not protest any more. The bond refers to refraining of breach of peace. But participating in a peaceful protest is a Constitutional right and DOES NOT breach peace.""The breach of peace has been caused by Narendra Modi, [Home Minister] Amit Shah and Gyanesh Kumar," Ranka remarked.The leaders demanded that Jantar Mantar be opened to the protesters as a venue.Ranka pointedly accused the authorities of insensitivity in the way Dipke was informed about his grandmother's death while he was in detention.CJP legal team head Ratna Singh alleged that police personnel had threatened the families of activists and asked them to stop their children from joining the protests. She also alleged that Intelligence Bureau personnel had tracked her movements and questioned the basis for restrictions on activists."I am a citizen. I have the right to go anywhere. How can you keep me in wrongful detention?" she asked.'Emergency'At least 3,000 protesters, including politicians, were detained on Saturday and mostly released later that night. Estimates went up to 7,000. Police had thrown a security ring around the capital to prevent gatherings at Jantar Mantar.YouTuber Dhruv Rathee was among those released late on Saturday night.Ranka said the past 72 hours had reminded people of the Emergency, imposed by the then PM Indira Gandhi from 1975 to 1977. He said trains were cancelled by PM Modi while "even in 1975, trains were not shut". Saurav Das also said the Centre created an "Emergency-like situation" and said the authorities could have invited a delegation for talks.Delhi Metro kept 45 stations closed while the Railways cancelled around 250 trains in view of the Saturday protest. The Supreme Court was told by the authorities on Sunday that operations were now normal.Das also accused Delhi Police personnel of entering Gurudwara Bangla Sahib wearing shoes and without covering their heads, and of forcibly removing protesters. He appealed to the Sikh community to stand with the protesters.Student Federation of India (SFI) leader Aishe Ghosh said, "Jantar Mantar 2.0 is on. We are on the streets; we will stay on the streets. We will abide by the Constitution." She alleged that right-wing groups aligned with the BJP had been allowed to assault CJP protesters.BJP's responseThe BJP has called the CJP an arm of the Opposition. BJP chief Nitin Nabin has alleged that they were looking to hurt India with actions directed by "foreign forces".Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta called the CJP the "B-team" of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal. Kejriwal was one of four former chief ministers detained and released on Saturday. Gandhi has been holding protests on the same issue for months.Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said "every individual has the right to express dissent in a democracy", but people must not "forget that spreading anarchy is not anyone's right".