NEW DELHI: The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) suffered a setback on October 10, as its founder, Abhijeet Dipke, along with leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, was detained by Delhi Police at Indira Gandhi International Airport after arriving in the national capital for a proposed protest at Jantar Mantar.
CJP legal team head Ratna Singh, YouTuber Dhruv Rathee and over 400 others have also been detained. Meanwhile, Delhi Police is taking CJP leaders Abhijeet Dipke, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka to separate locations, with Dipke being taken to Gurugram, Das to another location in Delhi, and Ranka to Dwarka.
The detentions came after Delhi Police denied permission for the demonstration, citing law and order concerns, procedural deficiencies in the party’s intimation and alleged past violations of protest conditions.
The demonstration was aimed at demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Dipke had reportedly declared his willingness to face arrest while travelling to Delhi, accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah of using security restrictions to prevent citizens from participating in the protest.
ALL THREE COCKROACHES (ABHIJEET DIPKE, SOURAV DAS AND ASHUTOSH RANKA) HAVE BEEN DETAINED RIGHT AFTER THEIR FLIGHTS LANDED AT DELHI AIRPORT.
THEY WERE HEADING TO JANTAR MANTAR FOR AN UNAUTHORISED PROTEST.
KUDOS TO DELHI POLICE 🔥
pic.twitter.com/YkLr8G31sf— Megh Updates 🚨™ (@MeghUpdates) October 10, 2026
However, police maintained that the party had not submitted a valid application in accordance with the prescribed procedure. According to the police communication, applications for demonstrations at Jantar Mantar must be submitted at least 10 days in advance.
Security tightened across the National Capital
Delhi Police stepped up security across the capital ahead of the proposed gathering, with at least 600 people reportedly detained under Section 65 of the Delhi Police Act.
Barricades were erected at key intersections, while personnel monitored vehicles and movement around central Delhi. Traffic restrictions came into effect at 6 am, with diversions planned around Connaught Place, Mandi House, Jantar Mantar, Patel Chowk and several other busy locations.
The affected stretches included the Ashoka Road–Jantar Mantar Road roundabout, Tolstoy Marg Janpath crossing, Jai Singh Road–Sansad Marg crossing, Rail Bhawan roundabout, Gol Dak Khana and Windsor Place.
Authorities warned that traffic arrangements could change depending on the prevailing law and order situation.
