2 CJP leaders in judicial custody: Dipke slams government, claims it is imposing ‘unofficial emergency’

Talking to reporters in Nagpur, CJP founder Dipke sought to know what offence CJP leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka committed by waving the tricolour at Jantar Mantar. File | Photo Credit: PTI Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke on Wednesday (October 14, 2026) alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was imposing an "unofficial emergency" after two CJP leaders were sent to five-day judicial custody for allegedly trespassing into Jantar Mantar in New Delhi.Talking to reporters in Nagpur, Mr. Dipke sought to know what offence CJP leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka committed by waving the tricolour at Jantar Mantar.Mr. Das and Mr. Ranka were sent to five-day judicial custody and lodged in Delhi's Tihar Jail on Wednesday (October 14, 2026) for allegedly violating their peace bonds and trespassing into Jantar Mantar, which was denotified as a protest area, police sources said.Anti-CEC protest LIVE updates on October 14They were detained early Tuesday (October 13, 2026) after allegedly breaching barricades and entering the Jantar Mantar area without authorisation, where they raised slogans demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.Reacting to the development, Mr. Dipke said, " I want to tell Narendra Modi that if you want to impose emergency in the country, then do it officially.""What is this, acting like cowards, imposing an unofficial emergency where you keep people in custody for five days just for waving the national flag at Jantar Mantar? That didn't even happen during the Emergency [imposed by Indira Gandhi in 1975]," he said."Waving the tricolour has become the worst sin in this country, such that people are sent to judicial custody for five days for it. So I want to say to Narendra Modi, don't be such a big coward; show some courage. If you want to impose emergency, then do it officially if you have guts," he added.Mr Dipke said he would visit Deekshabhoomi in Nagpur, where Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, along with thousands of his followers, embraced Buddhism on October 14, 1956."Today I am going to pay my respects to Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar right here, because our country runs on the Constitution and the ideas of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar. No matter what efforts Narendra Modi or anyone else makes to impose the RSS ideology on this country, that will not happen," the CJP leader asserted.This country will always follow the ideas of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, he added.Asked about protests by the Opposition INDIA bloc to seek the CEC's resignation, Mr. Dipke said the CJP is an independent pressure group and will always remain so."But that does not mean CJP is against the INDIA bloc. The movement of the INDIA bloc and CJP's movement are for the same cause," he noted. Published - October 14, 2026 10:36 am IST