Economist Jean Drèze slammed the heavy security at CJP's protest in Delhi, saying the govt fears people learning their right to vote is gone. Several CJP activists were detained, with one alleging he was picked up from inside an aircraft.

Economist Criticises 'Incredible Display of Force'

Economist Jean Drèze on Saturday criticised the heavy security deployment at Jantar Mantar, where the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has called a protest. Speaking at the protest site, Drèze said, “On behalf of all those who are not able to reach here because of the incredible display of force, which is completely out of proportion.”

He added, “The reason why the government is so afraid is not that there is any risk of violence or any security risk; it is that the government is afraid that the people of this country will understand that their right to vote is being taken away.”

CJP Activist Detained on Flight

Earlier in the day, CJP activist Abhijeet Dipke, who was on a flight to Delhi from Mumbai to participate in the protest, posted a video on Instagram claiming that Police detained him and his associates as they deboarded the aircraft at Delhi Airport.

In the Video, Dipke is heard alleging," So, you can see that Delhi Police is entering the plane to arrest us. They are all entering the plane. We just landed. All the Delhi Police officers are standing in the aisle. They are trying to arrest us from inside the plane. The entire Delhi Police is getting on the plane...This is the fear of Narendra Modi...Not even Indira Gandhi did this during the Emergency. All we wanted to do is a peaceful protest, and they are picking us up from the flight like we are criminals." "You can see where the nation is heading. They are here to arrest us directly from the flight. This is something not even Indira Gandhi had done. This is dictatorship, where Delhi Police has entered the flight and is trying to arrest us. Come on, arrest us. We are here to be arrested. Come on, arrest us. We are here to be arrested... We are not afraid of you," Dipke is heard saying.

CJP Legal Head Alleges Illegal Detention

The CJP also posted a video of its legal head, Ratna Singh, who claimed that she was being detained even as she was attempting to leave her home in her car. In the video, Ratna Singh claims, "They came to my house in the morning and were told that I am not here. We asked for official notification, do they have some? They have nothing. They just said, "We need to detain you, we have orders from above." I don't know which "above" the orders came from for them. And they keep saying, "Get out of the car, we will detain you at your home." They don't even want to take me anywhere else, they want me to stay here only. And I am not getting out of the car. They are not leaving this space, so I am in a way illegally detained on the road."

Several Demonstrators Detained Across Capital

The CJP also claimed that content creator Dhruv Rathee had been detained saying, "The Dictator is TERRIFIED of young people who question its wrongdoings and refuse to stay silent."

Delhi Police has detained several demonstrators after gathering at Jantar Mantar and Sansad Marg amid tight security and extensive barricading across the national capital. (ANI)

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