CJP activists accused authorities of enforcing an “open Emergency” in Delhi, alleging that security restrictions, metro closures and train disruptions were aimed at suppressing their campaign for CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation.
The party criticised Delhi Police over how activist Abhijeet Dipke was informed of his grandmother’s death in detention. Police denied insensitivity and said he was offered assistance to attend the funeral.
The allegations followed mass detentions and heightened security across the capital. Police said the deployment would continue amid the possibility of further protests by the CJP and student organisations.
The Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) on Sunday accused authorities of enforcing what it called an “open Emergency” in the national capital, alleging that extensive security checks, metro station closures and train disruptions were aimed at suppressing its youth-led campaign demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation.
At a press conference in New Delhi, CJP activists Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka alleged that the security measures were intended not only to prevent the protest but also to turn public opinion against the campaign. They said the restrictions were inconveniencing ordinary residents who had no connection with the agitation.
CJP Draws Parallel With 1975 Emergency
Das compared the situation in Delhi with the Emergency imposed in 1975, claiming that the national capital had effectively become a cantonment, with 30,000 to 40,000 security personnel deployed across the city.
“The situation across the country right now mirrors an open Emergency. Such repressive conditions have not been witnessed since the dictatorial regime of 1975,” Das said.
He also alleged that security personnel had been brought in from Kashmir, Bengal and Naxal-affected regions, and that troops had been airlifted as part of the deployment.
Das claimed that the measures were affecting residents who had no role in the protest.
CJP Alleges Disruption To Public Transport
Das accused the administration of deliberately disrupting public transport and commercial activity to generate resentment against the campaign.
“Shutting down 57 metro stations, suspending trains including Rajdhani services, and forcing markets to close on a Sunday disrupts daily life. The administration is intentionally inconveniencing the public in order to turn sentiment against this youth-led movement,” he said.
The allegations came amid heightened security arrangements in Delhi ahead of the CJP-led protest at Jantar Mantar.
CJP Questions Police Conduct Over Activist’s Bereavement
Ranka also criticised Delhi Police over how Abhijeet Dipke was informed, while in detention, that his grandmother had died.
Dipke, Das and Ranka were detained on Saturday as they were about to disembark from a flight in Delhi. Police said the proposed protest had not been permitted.
According to the information shared at the press conference, Dipke's grandmother died after a prolonged illness in Santuk Pimpri village in Maharashtra's Hingoli district. “Abhijeet’s grandmother passed away yesterday, and the way Delhi Police conducted themselves upon breaking the news was utterly inhuman. It is shameful to see the police force in the nation's capital behave with such insensitivity,” Ranka said.
Ranka alleged that police personnel had cameras and microphones around Dipke while informing him of the death, turning a moment of personal grief into a spectacle.
Delhi Police officers, however, said Dipke had been informed of his grandmother's death sensitively. They said he had been told about the funeral timings and offered assistance to travel to his village on humanitarian grounds.
Detentions, Security Deployment Continue To Fuel Political Row
The allegations followed heightened security, detentions and a political confrontation over the CJP-led protest at Jantar Mantar. The party and several student organisations had called for demonstrations demanding Kumar's resignation over alleged irregularities in the functioning of the Election Commission.
Barricades were erected at the Ghazipur border, while the gates of 45 metro stations remained closed, according to the information provided. The restrictions prompted opposition parties and protesters to accuse the authorities of curbing democratic rights.
Several people were detained across the capital, including Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal and CPI(M) leader Pinarayi Vijayan.
The detentions triggered a political exchange, with opposition leaders accusing the government of authoritarianism, while the BJP countered with allegations of anarchy.
Delhi Police sources subsequently said all detainees held at detention centres had been released, except CJP leaders, for whom due legal process would be followed.
Police sources also said the extensive security deployment would continue amid the possibility of further protests called by the CJP, the All India Youth Federation (AIYF), the All India Students Federation (AISF) and the Students' Federation of India (SFI).
