Kejriwal Calls Situation Worse Than Emergency After Detention of CJP Leaders
AAP leader condemns detention of Abhijeet Dipke, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka ahead of protest against SIR in Delhi
New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener Arvind Kejriwal has criticised the detention of Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke and its leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka at Delhi airport ahead of a planned protest against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Reacting to the incident, Kejriwal described the situation in the country as “worse than the Emergency” and accused the Narendra Modi government of suppressing dissent. He said the detention of the CJP leaders shortly after their flight landed reflected what he alleged was the ruling establishment’s fear of public protests.
Kejriwal also demanded the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and called for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to step down. His remarks came amid growing Opposition protests over alleged irregularities in the electoral roll revision process.
According to reports, Dipke, Das and Ranka were detained by Delhi Police after arriving from Mumbai on Saturday. They were travelling to participate in a proposed CJP demonstration at Jantar Mantar demanding the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner.
The CJP has alleged that the detention was a pre planned attempt to prevent its leadership from participating in the protest and has demanded the leaders’ release. Delhi Police had imposed extensive security arrangements and restrictions across parts of the national capital ahead of the demonstration.
The protest is part of a wider campaign against the SIR process and the use of Form 6 for voter registration. CJP and other groups have raised concerns about alleged wrongful deletions from electoral rolls and demanded accountability from the Election Commission. These claims remain contested, and the Election Commission has denied allegations of electoral manipulation.