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Rahul Gandhi duing INDIA Bloc Protest (Img: X/ @INCongress)
New Delhi: Congress Leader and LoP Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has backed the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leaders sent to judicial custody following a protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, criticising the action and asserting that peaceful demonstrations and waving the national flag cannot be treated as a crime.
The Congress leader’s remarks came after CJP co-convenors Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were sent to five days of judicial custody following their alleged unauthorised entry into the protest site. Another CJP leader, Ajinkya Shinde, was reportedly allowed to leave after furnishing a personal bond.
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 Mantar belongs to the people of India. We will reclaim it.
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) October 14, 2026
Taking to X, Rahul Gandhi wrote, “Waving the Tricolour at Jantar Mantar in a peaceful protest is not a crime. Jailing youth for it is an act of cowardice.”
In a separate post, he highlighted the participation of different groups in demonstrations and called for the restoration of citizens’ right to protest.
“Students. Youth. Journalists. The INDIA bloc. Different banners, one cause. All protests are one: citizens demanding their constitutional rights. Jantar Mantar belongs to the people of India. We will reclaim it,” he said.
The CJP leaders were detained following a demonstration against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and alleged irregularities associated with the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
According to reports, the protesters allegedly entered a barricaded area at Jantar Mantar and waved the Tricolour. The demonstration took place amid restrictions on protests at the site, which had been removed from the list of designated protest venues.
Police action against the protesters has triggered a political debate over the right to peaceful assembly and the restrictions imposed on demonstrations in the national capital.
CJP legal team head Ratna Singh alleged that the detained leaders were taken to Parliament Street police station in a private van during the early hours and that lawyers were denied access to them for several hours.
These allegations have not been independently established in the available reports.
The police case reportedly involves allegations of trespassing, violating prohibitory orders, obstructing public servants and breaching conditions intended to maintain peace. The allegations remain subject to legal proceedings.
The reported custody of Das and Ranka, along with Shinde’s release on a personal bond, has intensified scrutiny of the handling of the demonstration.
The dispute has also brought renewed attention to the rules governing public demonstrations in Delhi. Police orders have identified other locations, including Ramlila Maidan, Burari Ground and CBD Ground, as designated venues for protests.
Rahul Gandhi’s intervention has placed the issue within a broader political debate over constitutional rights, freedom of expression and the ability of citizens to assemble peacefully.
His remarks framed the detention of the CJP leaders as an issue extending beyond one organisation, arguing that people from different backgrounds and political groups were raising concerns about their rights.
The legal proceedings against the detained leaders are expected to determine the next steps in the case, while the controversy over protest restrictions at Jantar Mantar continues.
