Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) spokesperson Saurav Das has claimed that the government is planning to get him and other leaders, including founder Abhijeet Dipke and Ashutosh Ranka, arrested ahead of their mega October 10 protest at Delhi's Jantar Mantar. The CJP has called the protest demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commission Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
In a late-night tweet on Sunday, Das alleged that the government would be mistaken to believe that such “dictatorial actions” could suppress the upcoming protest.
"The government is planning on arresting me, Abhijeet, Ashutosh, Ratna and other Cockroach Janta Party leaders. If the government thinks that such dictatorial actions will work, then they are mistaken! The young generation has awakened. We appeal to everyone to continue fighting for our rights and future, with or without us," he said.
"We have always been ready to face jail or worse. But this will be a big mistake. The young will not tolerate this. The protests must continue. People of India should ensure the biggest mobilisation starting October 10," he added.
Echoing Das's claims, Dipke slammed Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
"Kitno ko arrest karoge @AmitShah? 10 Oct ko poora desh aa raha hai (How many people will you arrest, Amit Shah? The whole country is coming on October 10)," Dipke tweeted a little after midnight.
Dipke said threats of prosecution under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), National Security Act (NSA) or prolonged imprisonment would not deter them from holding the protest. He said the CJP was prepared to spend months or years in jail but would not give up their fight to “save democracy”.
“We follow the path shown by Mahatma Gandhi, and we will continue to resist peacefully and non-violently, no matter how much the state tries to intimidate us,” he claimed on Monday.
Ranka, meanwhile, alleged that multiple sources had contacted him to warn that he, Dipke and Saurav Das could be arrested before October 10 under the NSA or other similar provisions.
“All three of us have been ready to go to jail since June 6. There is no fear about it,” Ranka said today, adding that “we are 30-year-olds fighting for a better, more accountable India”.
“You can arrest us, beat us, even kill us. But you cannot stop us,” he said.
CJP'S PROTEST IN MUMBAI OVER SIR ROW
The CJP's claims came days after the outfit staged a protest at Mumbai's Shivaji Park, demanding the resignation of Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the SIR process. The protest was backed by the Shiv Sena (UBT).
The protest came amid a row over a report by media that the two Election Commissioners had raised objections to the aspects of the SIR 14 times over the past 10 months. The Election Commission rejected the report's claims, saying that differing views and comments were a normal part of discussions, but all decisions taken were unanimous.
Last month, several CJP leaders, including Ranka, were detained for 12 hours by Assam Police ahead of the outfit’s first regional volunteers’ meeting in the state. This prompted Ranka to launch an attack on the BJP government, claiming that Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma was "scared".
The CJP had earlier staged a protest at Delhi's Jantar Mantar on July 20 over the NEET paper leak, during which police detained several demonstrators. The 36-day agitation later culminated in the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan as the Union Education Minister.
