Jantar Mantar protest: Saurav Das, Ashutosh Ranka summoned by Delhi Police today

New Delhi: Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka have been summoned by the Delhi Police to appear for questioning on Thursday in connection with the Jantar Mantar protest case. The CJP members have been asked to appear before the Delhi Police Crime Branch office in Rajouri Garden at noon.

Das and Ranka had been summoned by the Delhi Police earlier in October as well. However, they skipped the summons and later sought more time to appear before the Crime Branch for questioning.

The protest cases against the CJP leaders were transferred to the Crime Branch in October. The cases are in connection with the incident on October 13, when Das, Ranka and Ajinkya Shinde, along with 11 others, trespassed into Jantar Mantar, which has been de-notified as the designated protesting site. All were detained by the Delhi Police.

While Shinde was released on bail bond, Das and Ranka remained in judicial custody for a week. The CJP members were protesting against alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and raised slogans against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.

On October 21, Das and Ranka were released from Tihar Jail following a week in judicial custody, after submitting written undertakings before a Special Executive Magistrate (SEM), assuring that they would maintain peace and refrain from calling for protests at Jantar Mantar until the site is de-notified in accordance with law.

SEM Ritu Raj directed the release of the two activists after they furnished personal bonds and surety bonds of Rs 50,000 each until the conclusion of the inquiry in connection with the Jantar Mantar trespassing case.

In their written undertakings, both activists promised not to commit any breach of peace and expressed full faith in the judiciary and all its instruments, including the SEM court. The SEM court observed that the immediate measures required under Section 135(3) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) to prevent a breach of peace or disturbance of public tranquillity could be adequately secured through the execution of bonds, supported by the written undertakings.