New Delhi [India], October 11 – Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) leaders Abhijeet Dipke and two others were released from Delhi Cantonment Police Station on Sunday, about 24 hours after they were detained by Delhi Police ahead of a planned protest demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
The three leaders Dipke, Saurav Das, Ashutosh Ranka were produced before the Executive Magistrate Court earlier on Sunday. Police said they were released after a surety bond of Rs 50,000 was furnished for maintaining peace and good behaviour for one year.
The leaders had been detained at Indira Gandhi International Airport shortly after arriving from Mumbai on Saturday morning. Delhi Police personnel took them to different police stations, where they were kept for about 24 hours.
A police officer said the trio had been placed under preventive arrest as a measure to maintain public order and prevent an imminent disturbance.
According to police, the action was taken under Sections 126 and 170 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita. Section 126 allows a magistrate to require a person to execute a bond for maintaining peace, while Section 170 empowers police to make preventive arrests.
Dipke and the other CJP leaders had travelled to Delhi to stage a sit-in at Jantar Mantar on Saturday. Delhi Police had denied permission for the demonstration, citing prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the BNSS in the New Delhi area.
The CJP had called for another protest march to Jantar Mantar on Sunday and said it would hold a press conference at 2 pm following the release of its leaders.
The detention came amid heightened security in central Delhi. Police said around 7,000 people were detained on Saturday for allegedly attempting to march towards Jantar Mantar. Police also said some of its personnel were injured while controlling the crowd.
Around 30,000 security personnel were deployed across central Delhi, with multiple layers of barricades put in place.
