New Delhi: An FIR has been registered in New Delhi district after a Special Executive Magistrate (SEM), who is hearing the case of Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, allegedly received threats from unidentified persons demanding their release, a senior police officer said.
Das and Ranka remained in judicial custody for the fifth consecutive day on Sunday in connection with breach of peace following their entry into Jantar Mantar, which had recently been denotified as a designated protest site.
According to the police officer, the FIR was registered on the basis of a complaint filed by the magistrate under provisions related to criminal intimidation.
Meanwhile, CJP spokesperson Ratna Singh accused the police of deliberately delaying the bail proceedings of the two leaders. She alleged that the hearing, scheduled for noon on Sunday, was repeatedly postponed until the evening.
Singh claimed that when the magistrate entered the courtroom around 5 pm, the proceedings focused on the alleged threats rather than the bail matter. She questioned the relevance of the threats to the leaders’ case and alleged that their sureties were not being approved.
The CJP spokesperson said the party would consult its lawyers to decide its next course of action. She also noted that the Public Prosecutor appeared in the proceedings for the first time since the arrests.
According to the Special Executive Magistrate court’s order dated October 14, the two leaders were remanded to five days of judicial custody after the court observed that their conduct indicated a likelihood of disturbing public peace and tranquillity.
The order referred to their alleged violation of lawful directions and stated that their conduct, including social media posts and the complainant’s statement, indicated a breach of a bond executed for maintaining peace under Section 136 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).
The arrests followed an incident on October 13, when a group of 14 people, including Das, Ranka and CJP national organisation in-charge Ajinkya Shinde, allegedly entered Jantar Mantar by climbing over a locked iron gate after passing through a narrow lane behind the Janata Dal (United) office.
Police said the group unfurled the national flag and raised slogans before being detained. The site had been denotified as a designated protest venue two days earlier.
Police also alleged that CJP members had conducted reconnaissance of the area on the preceding night to identify an entry route. Officers further claimed that members of the group jostled with personnel attempting to stop them and obstructed them in discharging their duties.
Two cases were registered in connection with the incident. The case at Connaught Place police station includes allegations of disobedience of an order issued by a public servant, house trespass and criminal conspiracy. A separate case was registered at Parliament Street police station.
Police said the three leaders were arrested under preventive provisions of law, citing alleged repeated attempts to disturb public peace and social media posts allegedly encouraging similar activities.
