CJP leaders on mass detention before protest

Ashutosh Ranka, co-convener of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), on Friday has appealed to police personnel across the country to question orders for harsh nighttime action against student protesters.

Ranka appealed to their conscience and warned that their actions would be judged by history.

Opposition parties, National Students' Union of India (NSUI), and the youths have been holding almost daily demonstrations seeking the resignation of chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over a controversial revision of ⁠voter lists.

Thousands are expected to march to Jantar Mantar, the designated protest site in the capital, New Delhi, on Saturday, amid mounting anger in the world’s largest democracy.

In a message to police forces across the country, Ranka questioned the alleged use of force against young protesters and their detention, urging personnel to reflect on how their actions would be remembered.

“We know that whatever is being made you do at this time is happening on orders from above. But how can you raise your hands against our children like this? How can you take them away in the darkness of the night like common thugs?” Ranka wrote on X.

"Does your conscience bear witness to this? Isn't your sense of morality being wounded by doing all this? If these were your own children, would you treat them the same way?"

Drawing a comparison with the British colonial period, Ranka said some policemen had fired on fellow Indians while claiming they were merely following orders.

"Even during British rule, there were some policemen who fired on their own countrymen, claiming they were just doing their duty. But remember, today the nation still regards those policemen as traitors," he added.

He then referred to the July 20 incident, holding the Delhi Police responsible and asking whether its personnel wanted to be remembered in the same way.

"The blood of July 20 is on the hands of the Delhi Police. Is that what you want too?"

Ranka called the protesters students fighting for justice and their rights, stressing that their movement was rooted in the principles of Mahatma Gandhi, BR Ambedkar and the Constitution.

"You know we are all students who read and write. We are fighting for justice. We are fighting for our rights. You also know that we are people who believe in Gandhi and Ambedkar. We are people who walk the path of non-violence and the Constitution. We will neither raise our hands nor resort to violence," he said.

Despite the reported detentions and the restrictions imposed in Delhi, Ranka said the protesters would not back down from their plan to reach Jantar Mantar on October 10.

"But you should also know that no matter what you do, we will reach Jantar Mantar tomorrow under any circumstances. And we will fight the historic battle to save the country," he added.

He ended his appeal by asking police personnel to consider how history would judge them.

"The decision is yours—how do you want to be remembered in history: like General Dyer, or like the martyr Mangal Pandey?"

The Congress on Friday took a swipe at the Modi government over the heavy security personnel deployment ahead of the CJP's October 10 protest here, saying it shows the level of "panic and nervousness" after four days of unrelenting protests by the INDIA bloc.

More than 20,000 police and paramilitary personnel have been deployed across Delhi ahead of the Cockroach Janata Party's (CJP) protest, a senior officer said on Thursday.

The officer said no permission has been granted for any protest at Jantar Mantar and appealed to people to avoid participating in any unauthorised gathering.

In his post on X, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, "Clearly shows the level of panic and nervousness coming as it does after four days of unrelenting protests by the INDIA janbandhan."

Mass detention of CJP leaders

Ahead of the October 10 protest in Delhi the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) alleged that protesters were being picked up from across the country on Thursday.

CJP’s Ashutosh Ranka, had said in a post on X Thursday that “at least 10,000” people from CJP demonstrations, student organisations, affiliated grassroots groups and political parties had been detained across the country.

Videos posted on social media platform X showed activists being taken away in vans.

The CJP said that among those detained was a group ‌of students from Pune who were headed for the 10 October protest in Delhi. It said they were being ‌taken away in a bus to an unknown location.

“This government has crossed all limits now. A group of students from Pune was on its way to Delhi to join the October 10 protest. They have been detained midway and are now being taken away in a bus to an unknown location,” the CJP stated.

The CJP also shared a video purportedly showing youth inside a moving bus in Madhya Pradesh. One of the youth could be heard saying they have been detained by the Madhya Pradesh police.

“In Kolkata, Abdul and his team were picked up by people in plainclothes and taken to undisclosed locations. These States have become completely crime-free, and hence the police are busy detaining peaceful students,” CJP co-convener Ranka said.

CJP leader 'detained' by police in Rajasthan's Alwar

CJP has alleged that Rajasthan Police forcibly detained its organisational co-in-charge Deepak Baliyan from his residence in Alwar district on Thursday night and manhandled him despite his fractured leg.

Party co-convener Ranka said the police took Baliyan from his house in Kathumar on October 8 and released him late in the night.

According to Baliyan's family, police arrived at his residence and said that the local station house officer had summoned him.

Baliyan livestreamed the police action on social media, following which the personnel left, the family claimed.

The police allegedly returned later and asked Baliyan to delete the video.

When he refused, they took him into custody, the family alleged.

Ranka alleged that Baliyan, who was recovering from a leg fracture, was dragged by police and suffered further injuries to his leg.

In a post on X, Ranka said Baliyan was taken on a journey of around 100 km before he was dropped at his house.

"Some boundaries shouldn't be crossed, and it's good that Rajasthan Police realised that eventually," he said.

In an earlier post, Ranka accused Rajasthan Police of behaving like "goons" over the alleged treatment of Baliyan and his brother.

Dipke says detention of volunteers from Telangana in MP

CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke also alleged that the Madhya Pradesh Police detained CJP volunteers travelling by train from Telangana.

“CJP Telangana volunteers got detained from Bhopal. MP police detained them from the train,” Dipke said.

The allegation adds to concerns raised by organisers about police interventions affecting activists and students travelling to Delhi ahead of the October 10 demonstration.

The details of the volunteers' detention, including their number and custody status, were not specified in the statements provided.

Delhi Police visit SFI office to seek details of activists

The Students’ Federation of India (SFI), one of five Left organisations that jointly called for the October 10 protest, alleged that police personnel had been visiting activists’ homes and intimidating their families to prevent them from travelling to Delhi.

SFI alleged that a group of Delhi Police personnel carrying lathis arrived at HKS Surjeet Bhawan in New Delhi, where the organisation’s central executive committee office is located, searching for SFI activists ahead of the October 10 protest.

According to SFI, the police also attempted to collect details of activists travelling to the national capital to participate in the demonstration against alleged electoral irregularities, described by protesters as “vote chori”.

The student organisation condemned the alleged police action as an intimidation tactic and accused the BJP-RSS of using police to discourage participation in the protest.

“SFI will not back down in the face of such intimidation tactics by the BJP-RSS using the police,” the organisation said in a statement.

Reaffirming its decision to participate in the October 10 mobilisation, SFI declared that its members would join the protest in large numbers despite the alleged police pressure.

“SFI will participate in large numbers in the 10th October protest against Vote Chori,” it said.

Questioning the police action, the organisation challenged the Delhi Police directly.

“Delhi Police, are you trying to scare us or silence us? Do you want to see how many of us will come?” SFI asked.

Mumbai activists detained

In Mumbai, two activists associated with civil society mobilisation were allegedly detained by police on Thursday, October 8, before being released on the condition that they remain in Mumbai, The Hindu reported.

The activists, Feroze Mithiborwala and Salim Saboowala, were reportedly picked up by Mumbai Police at around 11 am.

“Mumbai Police illegally detained activists Feroze Mithiborwala and Salim Saboowala around 11 a.m., after putting media pressure they were released on the condition to stay in Mumbai,” said Guddi L., a political activist and convenor of Hum Bharat Ke Log.

According to Guddi, both activists received telephone calls from police personnel earlier that morning informing them that officers would visit them on Thursday.

She suggested that the police action could be connected to the activists' participation in the October 2 demonstration in Mumbai.

Guddi questioned the legal basis for the alleged restrictions, saying neither activist had planned to travel to Delhi.

“We had no plans to go to Delhi. Yet, such harassment is done at the hands of police. Besides, as a citizen we can move anywhere. How can police detain?” she said.

The group's statement raised concerns over restrictions on freedom of movement and the alleged use of police powers to obstruct political participation.