Weighing in on the escalating row over the de-notification of Delhi’s historic Jantar Mantar protest site, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has come down heavily on the administration, condemning the five-day judicial custody imposed on Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka.The CJP leaders were remanded to Tihar Jail by a Special Executive Magistrate following an early-morning flash protest where they scaled the premises’ locked gates to wave the national flag and protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.”Waving the Tricolour Is Not a Crime”Taking to social media platform X, Gandhi expressed strong solidarity with the detained youth leaders, characterizing the penal action as a sign of administrative weakness:Widening Political Fallout.Gandhi’s remarks mark the first time a senior national opposition figure has directly backed the CJP leadership’s localized breach of the newly enforced venue restrictions. The site’s recent de-notification by the Ministry of Home Affairs and Delhi Police—which relocates official demonstrations to Ramlila Ground, Burari Ground, and CBD Ground—has drawn intense pushback from opposition groups and student activists.While the ruling coalition maintains that the legal actions against Das and Ranka are standard enforcement of trespassing laws and violation of pre-signed peace bonds, opposition leaders continue to frame the crackdown as an unconstitutional assault on democratic assembly and freedom of expression.
’Act of Cowardice’: Rahul Gandhi Slams 5-Day Jail Term for CJP Leaders
