Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) is set to hold a march to Jantar Mantar again on Sunday, a day after a massive showdown between the protesters and Delhi Police, pressing for their three demands, including the resignation and arrest of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
The appeal was made by CJP's national organisation in-charge, Ajikya Shinde, who the pressure group entrusted to lead the protest at Jantar Mantar.
"But we're not backing down! We will march to Jantar Mantar again tomorrow and stay there until all our demands are met," the CJP's post on X read.
On Saturday, thousands of protesters on their way to Jantar Mantar were detained by the Delhi Police. The cops detained Abhijeet Dipke, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka from inside the aircraft soon after their flights landed, while four former CMs Mamata Banerjee, Arvind Kejriwal and Pinarayi Vijayan- and Manik Sarkar were also detained along with over 3,000 protesters. After day-long detention, the police released all the protesters, except Dipke and YouTuber Dhruv Rathee.
Why Delhi Police denied protest permission
As outcry grew over the denial of permission to the protesters and the crackdown that followed, the Delhi Police on Saturday evening explained the reason behind its move in a video message.
The message was shared in an X post with the caption, "Broken promises, shattered trust." In the video, the Delhi Police asserted that the CJP failed to abide by its signed undertaking during the June-July protest over NEET paper leak, demanding resignation of then Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
Sonam Wangchuk's warning threatens protest
Amid the crackdown, activist Sonam Wangchuk also threatened to launch either an Anshan or Padyatra demanding the release of protesters. In a post on X, he said, "Yesterday when I posted a message appealing for unity & peace in today's protest I had never imagined that the biggest democracy in the world would be under an undeclared EMERGENCY."
"I was happy there were so many leaders to lead the movement, but I now learn that they have all been arrested. I hope those arrested will be released soon. I will be compelled to consider an Anshan Fast or Padyatra March if they are not released by tomorrow," he warned.
What to expect today
Security around Jantar Mantar, Connaught Place remains tight as Delhi Police and additional security forces have secured the perimeter. The CJP has reportedly instructed the protesters to head towards the site while establishing temporary assembly nodes, marking a strategic decentralisation.
The security apparatus, on the other hand, remains firm on not allowing mass gathering in and around the security-sensitive area without valid permission. The traffic movement, which was largely affected due to the protest, had normalised by the evening. The commuters must brace for another day of disruptions as Delhi Traffic Police has said that movement around 30 spots may remain affected today.