New Delhi, Oct 10 (IANS) Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) National Organisation In-charge Ajinkya Shinde said on Saturday that the protest against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar would continue until his resignation.
He urged party workers and demonstrators to march towards Jantar Mantar again on Sunday.
Addressing a press conference, Shinde alleged that Delhi Police had subjected detained protesters to harassment and demanded the immediate release of CJP leaders Abhijeet Dipke, Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das, who were taken into custody at the Delhi airport.
Shinde said Dipke’s grandmother had died on Saturday, but the police had allegedly not allowed him to speak to his lawyer or family members.
“Why was he detained on a flight? He came to Delhi by a regular flight. Anyone can travel by air. If he had violated any rules or staged a protest on the road, the police could have detained him,” he added.
He alleged that the police were subjecting Dipke to “emotional torture” and claimed that the families and lawyers of the three detained individuals had not been informed about their whereabouts.
“Abhijeet Dipke, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka have been detained at Delhi airport itself by this dictatorial Modi-Shah government. This government is once again afraid of the unity of the country,” Shinde said.
Recalling an earlier protest, Shinde claimed that the Union government had restricted train and bus services and detained people to prevent them from reaching the protest venue.
“The fear of the government shows that we have already won half the battle. This is the beginning of a new fight,” he said.
Explaining the protesters’ demands, Shinde added, “We are asking that people whose voting rights have been stolen should get their rights back. We are demanding the resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar, whom we accuse of vote theft. That is all we have asked for.”
He also alleged that restrictions and barricades across Delhi reflected the Union government’s fear of the protesters.
Appealing to people across the country to join the demonstration, Shinde urged them to march towards Jantar Mantar on Sunday.
He reiterated that the agitation would continue until CEC Gyanesh Kumar resigned, calling on supporters to remain determined despite the alleged police action.
–IANS
brt/khz