Before the protest, Delhi Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar issued an order on 2026-10-11 that removed Jantar Mantar from the official list of designated protest venues. The same order named Ramlila Maidan, Burari Ground, and CBD Ground in East Delhi as the new sites where demonstrations and dharnas could be held.
Two days later, on 2026-10-13, a group of Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) supporters approached the JDU office near Jantar Mantar. Finding the gate closed, they climbed over it to enter the protest area without obtaining the required permission.
Once inside, the protesters began raising slogans that called for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Delhi Police responded swiftly, detaining 11 individuals who had taken part in the unauthorized gathering.
Another party figure, Abhijit De, offered a more defiant line, declaring, “The voice of resistance cannot be silenced.
Following the detention, Delhi Police filed a First Information Report (FIR) against CJP leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, along with other members of the party. The charge was trespassing, based on their entry into Jantar Mantar without permission after scaling the gate. The FIR was registered on the same day, 2026-10-13.
CJP founder Abhijit Dipke reacted to the denotification of Jantar Mantar, stating that despite the removal of the site from the list of permitted protest locations, the party’s movement would continue. Another party figure, Abhijit De, offered a more defiant line, declaring, “The voice of resistance cannot be silenced.”
As part of the police response, those who were detained were required to give a one‑year undertaking not to breach the peace. This condition obliges the signatories to avoid any further unlawful assembly or disturbance for twelve months.
The Cockroach Janata Party maintains that its campaign to protest at Jantar Mantar will not end with the FIR or the undertaking. Party leaders say they will continue to seek avenues for expressing their demands. The episode highlights the tension between regulatory efforts to manage public space and the determination of activist groups to keep their voices heard.