The recently decommissioned protest site of Jantar Mantar brought the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) and the broader Opposition on the same page on Wednesday after three CJP members were jailed, triggering condemnation and a vow to restore the 18th-century observatory’s status as the Capital’s agitation hub.
“The past conduct of both accused persons shows that they violated the lawful directions of the authorities. An FIR in connection with the incident has been lodged at Connaught Police Station under sections 223A (knowing disobedience of a lawful order issued by a public servant), 332 (house-trespass in order to commit an offence) and 61(2) (criminal conspiracy) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, while another FIR under BNS sections 221 (voluntarily obstructing public servant in the discharge of their public functions), 115(2) (voluntarily causing simple hurt to another person), 132 (assault or criminal force used to deter a public servant from discharging their duty), and other sections, was lodged at Parliament Street Police Station.
The present conduct of both accused persons shows that they are likely to breach peace and tranquillity in the area,” said the magistrate’s order. “From the material on record, it is imperative that the above-said respondents, after having executed a bond/bail bond for keeping the peace in pursuance of an order of SEM South West under Section 136 BNSS, have again committed breach of the bond/bail bond, which is evident from their conduct/social media posts and statement of complainant,” the order read.
It also alleged that election officials found their access to the ECI software curtailed by the central IT team. The ongoing protests are part of a longer string of events that have mounted pressure on Kumar over the controversial special intensive revision – which has already deleted 130 million names from India’s electoral rolls – and other allegations. The developments follow an Indian Express investigation that said election commissioners SS Sandhu and Vivek Joshi recorded written dissents and objections at least 14 times between November 2025 and August 2026 and even wrote to the cabinet secretary.
The SEM who issued the order at Mandir Marg police station is an assistant commissioner of police-rank officer, according to two senior Delhi Police officers. ECI said all its digital platforms operated under strict data security protocols.
But against the backdrop of the sprawling NEET agitation this summer that forced the education minister’s resignation and the ongoing stir against Kumar, police denotified Jantar Mantar as a designated protest site. “In a democracy, the right to protest should never be confined to a designated site. Under Modi ’s government, even that limited space is being taken away.
For 33 years, Jantar Mantar hosted causes big and small – former soldiers demanding parity in pensions, a woman on hunger strike spotlighting army excesses, sexual violence victims hoping for justice, queer people dreaming of dignity, and a generation imagining a future free of corruption.
The irony is staggering: a government that wraps itself in the Tricolour is detaining young leaders like @SauravDassss, @AshutoshRanka and @AjinkyaCJP for waving it in protest,” said former Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
