Saurav Das, Ashutosh Ranka and Ajinkya Shinde under preventive arrest

• CJP leaders Ashutosh Ranka, Saurav Das and Ajinkya Shinde have been placed under preventive arrest for allegedly entering Jantar Mantar without authorisation and demanding the CEC’s resignation

• Police registered a case against them over alleged trespassing, violation of prohibitory orders and other offences. They were likely to be produced before a magistrate

• The detentions follow Delhi’s decision to remove Jantar Mantar from designated protest venues, amid demonstrations over alleged irregularities in SIR

Three leaders of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) — Ashutosh Ranka, Saurav Das and Ajinkya Shinde — have been placed under preventive arrest for allegedly entering Delhi’s Jantar Mantar area without authorisation and raising slogans demanding the resignation of chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, officials said on Wednesday.

The three were detained early Tuesday after allegedly crossing barricades and entering the protest site, which was recently denotified as an authorised venue for demonstrations. They are likely to be produced before the Special Court of the Executive Magistrate (SEM) on Wednesday morning, sources said.

According to police sources, a case has been registered against the three on charges including trespassing, violating prohibitory orders, breaching a peace bond and obstructing a public servant from performing official duties.

Ranka and Das had earlier been detained during a protest in the national capital on Saturday. Officials said the two had signed bonds undertaking to maintain peace for a year.

However, CJP legal team head Ratna Singh claimed that the three leaders had been arrested and were being held at Parliament Street Police Station.

In a post on X, Singh alleged that the leaders were brought to the police station in a private van at around 3 am and were not allowed to meet their lawyers until late at night. She also warned that the 24-hour period was nearing its end and said they could be sent to judicial custody at Tihar Jail after being produced before the magistrate.

"Despite these illegal actions, their spirits are high," Singh said, alleging procedural violations in the handling of the case.

The detentions come amid heightened security in Delhi following protests by the CJP and other organisations over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

On 11 October, Delhi Police commissioner Anurag Kumar issued an order designating Ramlila Maidan, Burari Ground and CBD Ground as venues for protests and demonstrations. Following the order, Jantar Mantar was removed from the list of designated protest sites.

The CJP has criticised the decision, arguing that moving demonstrations away from the political centre of the national capital could reduce the visibility of public dissent.

The latest detentions highlight the continuing tensions over protest permissions in Delhi, as police enforce restrictions on demonstrations and opposition groups continue to raise concerns over electoral roll revisions.

The police allegations and the claims made by the CJP's legal team have not been independently verified. Further details regarding the magistrate proceedings and the status of the three leaders were awaited.

With PTI inputs