Delhi Police Detain CJP Founder, Top Leaders Before Protest

Synopsis

Delhi Police arrested the founder of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), two of its spokesman and the legal affairs secretary on Saturday before a protest against former Chief Election Commission Gyanesh Kumar. The party claims that the leaders were surprised and arrested both at the airport and at their residence. Police say the detentions were meant to be preventive, in reference to an unauthorised gathering. There is no consistency in the numbers reported for the wider operation, and the party has termed the action a “clever attempt” to undermine its leadership.

Delhi Police on Saturday arrested the founders of Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) Abhijeet Dipke and party representatives Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, hours before a protest they organised at Jantar Mantar. The party posted the detentions on its X, accompanying with a video of its leaders being detained at the Delhi airport.

What the party claims to have occurred

The CJP reported that the three were arrested within the aircraft and Dipke told the police prior to his arrival that he was ready to be arrested. The party also stated its legal affairs chief Ratna Singh had been arrested.

Both Singh and the YouTuber Dhruv Rathee were picked up from their homes in the early hours of the day were detained in separate cases, at their homes in Sector 56 of Gurugram and at Dhaula Kuan, respectively.

The party demanded “immediate, unconditional release” of Dipke, Das and Ranka. It said it was a “pre-planned interception” to disrupt the leadership of the day's demonstrations. The reports examined have not contained quotes for police in response to that characterization.

The police position

Preventative detentions were also made to try to quell people's crowding at an unauthorised protest site, while reports put the number of people detained at over 150 by mid-morning. The Daily Jagran pegged the overnight number to be some 400. Numbers are not independently verified.

The protest was denied a day before. In a previous CJP protest, Joint Commissioner of Police Nupur Prasad had said a late application, violations were the reasons for the arrest.

According to the CJP's description, it is "a youth movement for satirical politics, launched online on 16 May 2026 by political communications strategist Dipke". There was no indication in the reports when those detained would be let go.