Story perspectives

Delhi Police Arrest Cockroach Janata Leaders at Jantar Mantar

By Drooid · Oct 22, 2026, 4:22 PM UTC · How we work

Center

Defends protest rights

Delhi Police placed Cockroach Janata Party leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka in judicial custody after they entered the denotified Jantar Mantar site.
Former BJP chief K. Annamalai defended the CJP’s right to protest while condemning the police’s preventive-detention tactics.
His departure from the BJP was announced on June 5 2026.
BJP spokesperson Narayanan Thirupathy said the police acted lawfully by enforcing protest-site rules.

Right

Arrests boost CJP

Delhi Police arrested Cockroach Janata Party leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka after they entered the Jantar Mantar site, placing them in custody.
Former Tamil Nadu BJP chief K. Annamalai warned the police’s heavy-handed arrests are a “disservice” that may boost the CJP leaders’ popularity.
Annamalai said the leaders entered, obstructed police and waved the flag.
He noted bail sureties were rejected and questioned both the venue’s removal and magistrate authority.

History

Historical Context

Anna Hazare’s anti-corruption activism, later portrayed in the 2016 Indian film Anna, cemented Jantar Mantar as a focal point for dissent. Recent police detentions of opposition figures echo the earlier pattern of law-enforcement confrontations at the site, suggesting a continuing, citywide political tension between protest movements and authorities in the capital.

1 of 3

Defends protest rights

Delhi Police placed Cockroach Janata Party leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka in judicial custody after they entered the denotified Jantar Mantar site.
Former BJP chief K. Annamalai defended the CJP’s right to protest while condemning the police’s preventive-detention tactics.
His departure from the BJP was announced on June 5 2026.
BJP spokesperson Narayanan Thirupathy said the police acted lawfully by enforcing protest-site rules.

1 / 3