CJP founder Dipke slams centre, accuses PM Modi of using police to intimidate young protesters

New Delhi: The Delhi Police have secured a two-day extension on the judicial custody of Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) co-convenors Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka. The order came after the duo was produced before a newly appointed Special Executive Magistrate (SEM) at the Mandir Marg police station on Monday.

The two young leaders were first taken into custody on 13 October. Officials alleged they climbed over a locked gate to enter Jantar Mantar, an area that had earlier been denotified as an official protest location. During the demonstration, the group had waved the Tricolour and raised slogans against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar before police detained them under preventive provisions.

Reacting to the court’s decision, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke took to social media to state that both leaders remain in high spirits despite their time behind bars. He maintained that Das and Ranka walked into the courtroom smiling, refusing to let the detention shake their resolve.

Dipke accuses govt of suppressing dissent

In a post shared on Instagram, Dipke hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, questioning why young citizens in their twenties and early thirties were being kept in custody merely for waving the national flag.

“The great Vishwaguru Narendra Modi must be feeling very strong keeping 26-27-year-old Saurabh Das in jail and keeping 30-year-old Ashutosh behind bars. This is what strength looks like? Hiding behind the police, hiding behind the courts—is this Narendra Modi’s strength?” Dipke said.

He noted that Das’s family had shown immense resilience, adding that attempts to intimidate young protesters would only push more youth to raise their voices.

Party alleges deliberate delay in bail hearings

The CJP has claimed that the administration is using stalling tactics to drag out the detention. On Sunday, the previous magistrate reported receiving threats from unidentified individuals, prompting the police to file a non-cognisable report and pushing the matter further down the line.

Dipke alleged that surety submissions were turned down on vague pretexts, stating, “The state is deliberately prolonging Ashu and Saurav’s illegal arrest by using every dirty trick in the book to delay court proceedings and prevent their release.”

Das and Ranka are scheduled to appear before the magistrate again on Wednesday.