CJP Protest: Abhijeet Dipke, Saurav Das Detained At Delhi's IGI Airport Who Else Was Taken Into Custody?

(MENAFN- Live Mint) Delhi witnessed high political drama on Saturday after several leaders, activists, and some of the founding members of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) were detained before they could reach Jantar Mantar for the satirical outfit's planned protest against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.

The protest, called by CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, seeks Gyanesh Kumar's resignation over alleged irregularities in the revision of electoral rolls.

Quick answers to key questions

.5 QUESTIONS1Why were Abhijeet Dipke, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka detained at Delhi airport?⌵

Delhi Police detained the CJP founder and co-convenors after their flight from Mumbai landed at IGI Airport. They were on their way to the party's planned protest at Jantar Mantar.

2Who else was detained ahead of the CJP protest in Delhi?⌵

The reported detainees included YouTuber Dhruv Rathee and CJP legal cell head Ratna Singh. Several politicians and other protesters were also detained, according to the reports.

3Why was the CJP protesting against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar?⌵

The CJP called for Kumar's resignation over alleged irregularities in the revision of electoral rolls, including the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.

4What did Abhijeet Dipke say after Delhi Police detained him on the plane?⌵

Dipke criticised the police action and said he was prepared to be arrested. He also said the CJP had come to hold a peaceful protest.

5Did the CJP say its protest would continue after its leaders were detained?⌵

Yes. The CJP said its nationwide agitation would continue despite the detention of Dipke and other leaders, and reiterated its demand for Gyanesh Kumar's resignation.

Also Read | Delhi Protest LIVE Updates: Ajinkya to lead CJP protest; Neha Bora detained

Among those detained were CJP's prominent faces, including Dipke, co-convenors Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, and YouTuber Dhruv Rathee. According to a post on CJP's X account, "Abhijeet Dipke, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka have been taken to an undisclosed location."

Dipke, Das and Ranka were allegedly detained by Delhi Police after their flight from Mumbai landed at Delhi Airport. After being detained on the flight, Dipke criticised the police action in a video statement, adding that he was prepared to be arrested.

"This is not something even Indira Gandhi did during the Emergency; this is a worse situation than that, and we are all prepared for arrest," he said.

However, protesters and CJP founders are not the only people who have been detained across the national capital. Delhi Police have also cracked down on politicians, including MA Baby, Pinarayi Vijayan, MV Govindan Master, A Vijayaraghavan, KK Shailaja, John Brittas MP, KN Balagopal, Brinda Karat and PK Sreemathi. According to CPI(M), the party leaders were detained as soon as they arrived at Jantar Mantar.

Also Read | From a meme handle to capital 'shutdown': The anatomy of CJP's digital rebellion List of prominent faces detained so far in Delhi and other cities:

1. Abhijeet Dipke

2. Saurav Das

3. Ashutosh Ranka

4. Ratna Singh

5. Dhruv Rathee

6. Pinarayi Vijayan

7. MA Baby

8. MV Govindan Master

9. A Vijayaraghavan

10. KK Shailaja

11. John Brittas

12. KN Balagopal

13. Brinda Karat

14. PK Sreemathi

15. Tushar Gandhi (great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, detained in Mumbai)

16. Manish Sisodia (AAP leader detained in Chandigarh)

Over 1,500 detained in the capital; Delhi under a security blanket

While the CJP convenor and co-convenors were detained as soon as they landed in the national capital, YouTuber Dhruv Rathee was detained at his family home in Gurugram's Sector 56 on Saturday after he reportedly declined requests from Gurugram and Delhi police teams not to travel to Jantar Mantar to take part in the protest.

Also Read | CJP Protest today: YouTuber Dhruv Rathee taken into police custody in Gurugram

According to reports, over 1,500 people have been detained so far, as Delhi has been put under a security blanket. Delhi Police planned a security deployment of about 35,000 police and paramilitary personnel, alongside checkpoints and barricades throughout the capital. Parts of central Delhi faced mobile internet suspensions, while access to and from several Metro stations was restricted.

Why is CJP protesting?

The protest against Kumar comes after a report in The Indian Express last month suggested an internal rift in the Election Commission. It found that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had repeatedly raised concerns within the three-member poll panel. Although all three commissioners oversaw the nationwide SIR exercise, Sandhu and Joshi recorded at least 14 formal objections over 10 months, including four on one day. They said decisions had been taken and orders issued without their knowledge.

MENAFN10102026007365015876ID1111787215