Indian police detained several leaders of the youth-led Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Tuesday after protesters entered New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, defying barricades that had sealed off the site, the group said.
The party said those detained included leaders Saurav Das, Ashutosh Ranka and Ajinkya Shinde. In a video shared online by CJP leader Abhijeet Dipke, protesters can be seen climbing over barricades, entering the site and waving the Indian national flag before police officers move in to detain them.
“CJP sneaks inside to reclaim Jantar Mantar,” the group said in a social media post, describing the action as an attempt to reclaim the protest site.
The incident comes amid growing demonstrations against India’s Election Commission, with opposition parties and supporters demanding the resignation of its chief over allegations that voter rolls have been manipulated to benefit Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling party.
The Election Commission of India, which oversees elections in the world’s most populous country, has denied any wrongdoing.
Delhi Police announced on Monday that Jantar Mantar, a longstanding venue for demonstrations in the capital, would no longer be among the city’s designated official protest sites. The location has been sealed off for several days with yellow metal barricades and guarded by a heavy police presence.
Police had identified three alternative locations for demonstrations, but the move has not stopped protesters from challenging the restrictions.
“You cannot denotify the resistance,” Dipke said in a post on social media, tagging Modi.
Jantar Mantar has hosted numerous political demonstrations over the years, including protests by CJP that contributed to calls for the education minister to step down following an examination scandal in July.
Meanwhile, Modi addressed a business conference in New Delhi on Tuesday, describing India as the “mother of democracy”. He did not directly address the ongoing protests or the allegations against the Election Commission.
