New Delhi, 11 October (H.S.):

National spokespersons of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das, on Sunday appealed to student organisations and young people across the country to take to the streets peacefully and raise their voices in defence of the Constitution and democracy.

Addressing a press conference at the Press Club of India in New Delhi, the CJP spokespersons levelled serious allegations against the Central government and Delhi Police, accusing them of suppressing democratic expression and attempting to crush peaceful protests. They claimed that Delhi had been turned into a virtual military cantonment during Saturday’s demonstration, creating a situation resembling an undeclared Emergency similar to that of 1975.

Saurav Das alleged that shortly after landing at Delhi airport, he, Ashutosh Ranka and Abhijit Deepke were forcibly taken into custody by Delhi Police directly from the aircraft, without the presentation of any valid documents or arrest warrants. He further alleged that their mobile phones were confiscated and that the authorities did not provide the mandatory seizure memos required under legal procedure.

Das expressed apprehension that their digital devices could be tampered with or that data might be planted on them while they remained in custody. He also alleged that they had been denied their fundamental right to contact their lawyers during detention.

Questioning the silence of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and the judiciary, Das urged the courts to take suo motu cognisance of the entire episode. He alleged that the action was intended to shield the Chief Election Commissioner and conceal systemic shortcomings.

He further claimed that the rights of voters across the country, particularly young people and members of Generation Z, had been disregarded on a large scale.

Meanwhile, Ashutosh Ranka alleged that more than 40,000 security personnel had been deployed in Delhi on Saturday, with contingents of the Border Security Force (BSF) and other central forces reportedly brought in from border and Naxal-affected regions.

He claimed that operations at 57 metro stations, interstate rail services and major trains connecting the national capital had been disrupted. According to Ranka, restrictions on the movement of ordinary citizens and commercial activities were imposed without a formal declaration, allegedly in an attempt to create an unfavourable environment for the protest movement.

Ranka also alleged that security personnel had violated religious protocols while removing protesters who had taken shelter at Gurdwara Bangla Sahib. In addition, he claimed that Pranay, the CJP’s Mumbai coordinator, had been subjected to brutality and physical violence while in custody.

The CJP spokespersons called for peaceful resistance in defence of constitutional values and democratic rights, urging students and young people to continue raising their concerns through non-violent means.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar