Waving the Tricolour at Jantar Mantar in a peaceful protest is not a crime,
Rahul Gandhi said, as two youth activists from India’s Cockroach Janta Party were remanded to five days in judicial custody on October 14, 2026, after scaling barricades to hoist the national flag at Delhi’s de-notified Jantar Mantar protest site.
A Special Executive Magistrate ordered the five-day Tihar Jail remand on Wednesday for Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka. A third activist, Ajinkya Shinde, was released on a personal bond of 5,000 rupees and bound down to maintain peace for six months
according to reporting cited by ETV Bharat.
Activists Breach Jantar Mantar Grounds
Video footage posted online by Ranka showed the activists climbing the perimeter while Ranka raised the Tricolour inside the premises before police personnel intervened and detained them. Party founder Abhijeet Dipke and other CJP representatives later thanked political figures like Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for speaking out against the arrests.
With you boys. We will reclaim this country from these thugs & looteras. pic.twitter.com/4EtvCdRFZv
Following his detention, Das posted a video on Instagram declaring that they had breached the site. Ranka asserted that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar would resign from Jantar Mantar no matter what. The party’s legal head, Ratna Singh, provided updates in the wee hours of Wednesday detailing the police actions.
Authorities stated the CJP leaders had violated a bond signed earlier upon entering the protest site unauthorized. Subsequent police actions involved booking 14 more members of the organization who reached the restricted area via a private property and allegedly obstructed police personnel in the discharge of their duties, leading to two separate FIRs registered at the Connaught Place and Parliament Street police stations.
The so called biggest nationalists are now arresting Indians for unfurling and waving the Tricolour in their own country, an act which, according to the Union Government constitutes a breach of peace. Welcome to the @BJP4India’s new Pakistanified Bharat.
Delhi Police arrests Saurav Das, Ashutosh Ranka, and Ajinkya Shinde at Parliament Street Police Station in today’s Jantar Mantar case.
Ratna Singh, via Moneycontrol
Singh added that the activists were brought to the police station in a private van at 3 a.m. and were initially denied access to their legal counsel.
The site closure stems from recommendations by a home ministry committee and follows a Supreme Court order intended to establish alternative locations for public gatherings without compromising public safety, as noted in reports reviewed by the Millat Times. The Union Home Ministry de-notified Jantar Mantar as an authorized venue for demonstrations shortly before the arrests occurred.
The regime has jailed @SauravDassss and @AshutoshRanka for holding the tricolour at Jantar Mantar! Since when did holding our own national flag, in our own country by young Indians, become a crime? The regime vs the patriotic young Indians fight shall go on till we reclaim…
The CJP activists had targeted the location to demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. Police identified Ramlila Ground in central Delhi, Burari Ground in the north, and CBD Ground in Shahdara as alternative venues for public gatherings.
Political Figures Condemn Remand Orders
Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi condemned the detention in a post on X, asserting that waving the national flag during a peaceful protest is not a crime, which triggered an immediate political uproar uniting multiple opposition factions in criticism of the central government and the police action.
Is waving our own flag in our own country a crime? This is absolutely ridiculous https://t.co/uzF6QdcCZ4
“Waving the Tricolour at Jantar Mantar in a peaceful protest is not a crime. Jailing youth for it is an act of cowardice. Students. Youth. Journalists. The INDIA bloc. Different banners, one cause. All protests are one: citizens demanding their constitutional rights.”
Rahul Gandhi, Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition, via Deccan Chronicle
Aam Aadmi Party leader Sanjay Singh questioned the government’s stance on national symbols, asking in a video post whether hoisting the flag had become illegal and accusing authorities of suppressing young voices.
Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra argued that entering the protest venue English Varthabharati. Former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee characterized the arrests as an attempt to intimidate and silence an entire generation. Additional condemnation came from CPI general secretary D Raja, RJD MP Manoj Jha, and AISA national president Neha Bora.
Controversy Over Voter List Revisions
The ongoing nationwide revision of voter lists has removed more than 130 million names since last year, an administrative exercise that includes 28 million deceased individuals, 63 million who relocated, and 30 million who could not be traced.
The confrontation at Jantar Mantar is part of an ongoing wave of protests driven by opposition groups and student organizations, including the All India Students’ Association, demanding accountability from the Election Commission.
How many protestors can this government detain? How many young voices can the BJP silence?The more young people they jail, the more ordinary citizens, with no political affiliation, will take to the streets and show them the true power of the people!Solidarity with… https://t.co/kdVXOdVxZ0 pic.twitter.com/rBPLUJz5J2
While the Election Commission and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration maintain that the revisions are intended to remove duplicate and ineligible entries, critics and opposition parties allege that the process disproportionately affects minority populations.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, who thanked Rahul Gandhi for his public support, confirmed that the independent pressure group will maintain its agitation against electoral roll revisions while pursuing both political and legal challenges against the de-notification of Delhi’s primary demonstration site.
Waving the Tricolour at Jantar Mantar in a peaceful protest is not a crime. Jailing youth for it is an act of cowardice. Students. Youth. Journalists. The INDIA bloc. Different banners, one cause. All protests are one: citizens demanding their constitutional rights.Jantar… https://t.co/drDsDxSRco
Different banners, one cause,
Gandhi posted on X.
More on Cockroach Janta Party
Two young protesters. Five days in Tihar Jail. And a serious question about the law.Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, co-convenors of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), were sent to five days of judicial custody by a Special Executive Magistrate after allegedly entering Jantar… pic.twitter.com/3rQ4AJHTwa
#NewDelhi: AAP national convenor #ArvindKejriwal on Wednesday termed police action against Cockroach Janta Party leaders #SauravDas and Ashutosh Ranka "absolutely ridiculous" and asked whether waving the national flag in one's own country was a crime. Das and Ranka were sent to…