New Delhi: The crime branch Thursday questioned Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) representatives Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka over four hours in connection with a trespassing case, sources said.
After the questioning, Ranka described it as a routine investigation related to the events of Oct 13, the day the duo and their associates had tried to wave the Tricolour at Jantar Mantar after the place was denotified as a protest site. You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Delhi | Silver Rate in Delhi | Bank Holidays in Delhi | Public Holidays in Delhi | Delhi AQI | Weather in Delhi | Petrol Price in Delhi | Diesel Price in Delhi | CNG Price in Delhi | LPG Price in Delhi Stay updated with the latest Delhi news.
Ranka said they would cooperate with any probe, regardless of the agency conducting it. “Displaying the Tricolour at Jantar Mantar, or anywhere else, including on a public road, should not be treated as a crime,” he said. He claimed that foreign-funded NGOs and what he called “deep state operatives” were financing campaigns against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls too. “There is sufficient evidence to show that they are being funded by unauthorised sources,” Singh said, accusing the activists of manufacturing an anti-govt narrative.
In a separate development linked to CJP, Union minister Jitendra Singh , who had negotiated with them during the June-July NEET protest , accused the youth-led outfit of receiving funds from Pakistani politicians and US-based donors. The outfit hit back and questioned why govt had engaged with it in that case. Addressing a news conference in Bengaluru Tuesday, Singh alleged that CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke had received money from US-based donors, while co-founder Ashutosh Ranka was funded by Pakistani politicians and other handlers. Rejecting the charge Thursday, Ranka asked: “Why were you negotiating with us then? His response referred to meetings the CJP representatives held with Singh and Union minister JP Nadda in July during eam paper leak protests, demanding action over examination irregularities and reforms. Ranka also shared photographs of those meetings. The controversy comes amid CJP’s campaign against electoral roll revisions and allegations of voter deletions. The political confrontation also widened Thursday when Congress functionary Priyank Kharge challenged the BJP-led govt to produce evidence supporting its allegations of foreign funding by Singh. He asked why had central agencies not acted if such information was available. Download the TOI App.