‘Waving tricolour not a crime’: Opposition slams arrest of CJP leaders over Jantar Mantar protest

New Delhi: Opposition leaders on Wednesday criticised the arrest of Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) leaders Ashutosh Ranka, Saurav Das and Ajinkya Shinde, who were detained by the Delhi Police for entering Jantar Mantar to protest against its removal as a designated demonstration site.

Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said waving the national flag during a peaceful protest was not a crime, and alleged that jailing young people for doing so reflected cowardice. In a social media post, he said Jantar Mantar belonged to the people of India and that the Opposition would “reclaim” it.

Ranka and Das were remanded to five days’ judicial custody by a magistrate’s court, while Shinde was released on a personal bond. They were detained on Tuesday along with other CJP members after they entered Jantar Mantar, which the Delhi Police had de-notified as a protest site. Police have also accused them of violating bail bond conditions and obstructing public servants from performing their duties.

Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee said the Centre was arresting citizens for unfurling and waving the tricolour in their own country and wrongly treating it as a breach of peace.

All India Students’ Association president Neha Bora alleged that the government was attempting to suppress dissent through the arrests and weaken the ongoing resistance.

Aam Aadmi Party Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh questioned whether the country was once again under colonial rule. He also alleged that the BJP “hated the tricolour”, claiming that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh headquarters did not hoist the national flag for 52 years. The RSS is the parent organisation of the BJP.

Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader Aaditya Thackeray said the struggle between what he called the “regime” and patriotic young Indians would continue until democracy was reclaimed.

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam chief and former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin expressed solidarity with the detained CJP leaders and said his party was ready to extend legal assistance to them. He said the arrests would only encourage more citizens, including those without political affiliations, to come out on the streets.

The CJP, Opposition parties and student groups have been demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, citing concerns over the functioning of the Election Commission of India and its handling of the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.

Protests had also been held at Jantar Mantar in June and July against alleged irregularities in examinations. The CJP began a sit-in at the site on June 20, which continued until July 28 and led to the resignation of BJP leader Dharmendra Pradhan as Union Education Minister.