Cockroach Janata Party submitted a request to Delhi Police for permission to hold a peaceful protest.
NEW DELHI: The Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) on Monday gave Delhi Police 24 hours to respond to its request for a protest at Jantar Mantar, asking the authorities to choose a date for the demonstration. The group also set a 24-hour deadline for a response, warning that it would continue its peaceful protest if the police failed to reply.
“Given the constant allegation from the government and Police’s side about not informing them of the protest well in advance, i.e. before at least 10 days, we hereby give you the option to provide us the designated protest site Jantar Mantar on a date of your choosing,” the letter stated. It said it would announce a fresh date for a mass demonstration if the authorities did not allocate Jantar Mantar for the gathering. The move comes days after Delhi Police de-notified Jantar Mantar as a designated protest venue and identified three alternative sites — Ramlila Ground, Burari Ground and CBD Ground in East Delhi — for demonstrations. In a letter addressed to the deputy commissioner of police (DCP) at Parliament Street police station, CJP activists Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka sought permission to assemble peacefully at Jantar Mantar and urged the authorities to scale down the police deployment in the capital. The representation alleged that recent police measures had caused widespread disruption to public life, with heavy deployment of police and paramilitary personnel, road closures and barricades affecting commuters and businesses. It also alleged arbitrary detentions, physical aggression and prolonged custody of protesters and other citizens. Citing the police’s objections over inadequate advance notice for protests, the group asked the authorities to select a date for the demonstration themselves.