The Janta Cockroach Party (CJP) will hold a protest titled "Shake the Tricolor" in the capital of India, New Delhi, on Friday. The tricolor refers to the national flag of India, which consists of saffron, white, and green stripes.
Support for Imprisoned Leaders
This march is aimed at supporting two leaders of the movement, Aashtosh Ranka and Sourav Das, who were imprisoned on Wednesday for charges including trespassing, violating prohibited orders, and breaching a peace bond for five days. A video released by CJP on Tuesday shows Ranka and Das along with other activists of the group passing through a gate blocked by yellow police barriers.
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Protests and Police Response
The group raised the national flag of India while passing through the gate and shouted slogans against the Chief Election Commissioner of India. Following this, the activists faced pursuit from police officials. CJP founder Abhijit Deepke wrote on the X platform on Thursday: "Imagine being imprisoned in your own country for raising the national flag."
The protest on Tuesday took place at Jantar Mantar in central Delhi, where thousands of protesters attempted to call for electoral reforms on October 10 and were stopped by Indian authorities. Thousands of young protesters, including CJP leaders and students, were arrested after police denied permission for the demonstration. The protesters have stated that the right to protest is a fundamental right.
This wave of protests is part of broader efforts that also include opposition parties aimed at removing Gianesh Kumar, the Chief Election Commissioner, due to the removal of tens of millions of names from India's electoral rolls.
The Janta Cockroach Party has called on people to gather in large numbers at Connaught Place and raise the national flag in support of their leaders who have been imprisoned for trespassing into a location recently removed from the list of official protest sites.
Delhi police have reiterated that prohibited orders remain in effect in the area and only a selected group will be allowed to gather for the purpose of carrying the flag.
