CJP leaders Ashutosh Ranka, Saurav Das’s Jantar Mantar trespass case transferred to Crime Branch

New Delhi: A trespassing case involving Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leaders Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das has been transferred to the Delhi Police Crime Branch, police sources said on Monday.

The case relates to allegations that the two leaders climbed over a locked gate to enter Jantar Mantar without authorisation. Authorities had earlier removed the location from the list of designated protest sites.

The Crime Branch will now investigate the alleged trespass.

Custody extended two days

Earlier on Monday, a newly appointed Special Executive Magistrate at Mandir Marg police station extended the judicial custody of Das and Ranka by two days. The leaders will appear before the magistrate again on Wednesday, October 21, according to sources cited by news agency PTI. Delhi Police had sought a five-day extension of their custody.

Their legal team sought their release after submitting sureties on record. The CJP has alleged that authorities deliberately delayed bail proceedings to prevent the two leaders from leaving custody.

Protest at Jantar Mantar

Police detained Das and Ranka on October 13 after they allegedly entered Jantar Mantar despite restrictions. Along with other CJP workers, they displayed the national flag and raised slogans against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

Police subsequently placed them under preventive arrest and produced them before a Special Executive Magistrate, who remanded them to judicial custody. The leaders have maintained that they unfurled the national flag and raised slogans at the site.

Report over alleged threat

Separately, Delhi Police registered a non-cognisable report against unidentified persons on Sunday over an alleged threat to a magistrate during the leaders’ bail hearing. CJP legal cell head Ratna Singh said the Special Executive Magistrate informed her that the court had received a threatening message.

The party also alleged that guarantees submitted by four bail sureties were rejected for unclear reasons. The CJP has protested against Kumar and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, alleging that the exercise threatens voters’ rights. It has also opposed the decision to remove Jantar Mantar from the list of designated protest sites.