CJP leaders Abhijeet Dipke, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka will remain in preventive detention and will be produced before an executive magistrate at Delhi Cantt Police Station at 9 am on Sunday, Delhi Police sources said. No arrest has been made, and the three have been detained under Sections 107 and 151 of the erstwhile Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).
Ratna Singh, head of the CJP's legal team, said a Delhi Police official informed her on Sunday morning that the three leaders would be produced before the executive magistrate. She said she would be present at the police station along with other lawyers representing the party.
“Abhijeet, Ashutosh and Saurav will be produced before the Executive Magistrate at Delhi Cantt Police Station at 9 AM today,” Singh said in a post on X.
“As CJP’s Legal Head, I will be at the police station along with other advocates representing us,” she added.
The three leaders were detained shortly after their flight from Mumbai landed at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport on Saturday. Their detention came ahead of the CJP's planned protest demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
CJP CALLS FRESH MARCH TO JANTAR MANTAR
With its senior leaders still in preventive detention, the CJP has called for another mobilisation at Jantar Mantar at 10 am on Sunday. The party has vowed to continue its agitation against Kumar, citing concerns over alleged manipulation of voter lists.
The fresh call follows Saturday's extensive security arrangements across the national capital, as Delhi Police moved to prevent the planned demonstration from taking place. Police had denied permission for the protest, citing security and law-and-order concerns.
The CJP and the All India Students' Association (AISA) had called on supporters to gather at Jantar Mantar to protest against alleged manipulation of voter lists and demand Kumar's resignation.
OVER 3,000 DETAINED ON SATURDAY
Delhi Police detained more than 3,000 people across the capital on Saturday as authorities mounted an extensive security operation to prevent the protest. While most of those detained were released later in the day, Dipke, Das and Ranka remained in preventive detention.
More than 20,000 police and Central Armed Police Forces personnel were deployed across Delhi, including around 6,500 personnel in the sensitive area around Jantar Mantar. Barricades, checkpoints and detention centres were set up at multiple locations, while surveillance was intensified.
Around 150 people who gathered at Connaught Place were detained. Police also took more than 600 people with criminal antecedents into custody as a preventive measure, according to media's earlier report.
The security arrangements disrupted public transport and movement across the capital. Several Metro stations were shut, train services were cancelled, and mobile internet services were suspended within a four-kilometre radius of the Janpath-Kartavya Path area. Restrictions and checks were also imposed at the Delhi-Noida border.
Metro entry and exit gates were reopened later on Saturday night, with interchange facilities restored at the affected stations.
LAWYERS, OPPOSITION LEADERS ALSO DETAINED
The crackdown also saw several Opposition leaders detained while attempting to join the agitation, including former chief ministers Arvind Kejriwal, Mamata Banerjee, Pinarayi Vijayan and Manik Sarkar.
Ratna Singh had also alleged that she and three other lawyers were detained. In a video, Singh said more than 25 police personnel had surrounded the car she was in, preventing her from leaving. She alleged that the police did not provide an official order explaining the action.
The CJP's renewed call for a march on Sunday comes amid continuing demands for Kumar's resignation and questions over the detention of its three senior leaders.
Source: India Today