Delhi: Following the arrest of Sourav Das and Ashutosh Ranka—who were taken into custody for hoisting the national tricolor at Jantar Mantar—student leaders, social activists, and other speakers gathered at the Press Club of India in Delhi on Thursday to raise serious questions regarding the government and the administration. A call was also issued for a nationwide event to hoist the tricolor on October 6 at 5:00 PM.
During the event, Abhijit Dipke, founder of the ‘Cockroach Janata Party’ (CJP), stated that by hoisting the tricolor on October 6 at 5:00 PM, a message would be sent that the national flag is a symbol of pride for every citizen of the country. Referring to the detention of Sourav and Ashutosh, he questioned how the act of hoisting the national flag could be construed as a violation of law and order. He further accused the central government of taking action against protesters and student organizations, while also questioning the deployment of a large police force.
During Neha Bora’s address, a journalist from a TV channel interrupted, alleging that the participants were “trying to turn India into Bangladesh.” This sparked a heated argument between the journalist and those present, causing a temporary disruption to the proceedings. Following objections from the organizers and the attendees, the journalist was compelled to leave. Commenting on the situation, Abhijit Dipke remarked, “Just hand them a 50 or 100-rupee note and send them on their way.”
The speakers argued that the issues surrounding the ‘Summary Revision of Electoral Rolls’ (SIR) go beyond the simple addition or removal of names, and they demanded a comprehensive investigation. Several individuals whose names had been removed from the electoral rolls shared their experiences; one person alleged that he was marked as “deceased” and subsequently removed from the rolls, despite being alive. Furthermore, a demand was raised for an inquiry into the records of elections held between 2022 and 2025. Student leader Neha Bora raised the issue of the alleged actions taken against journalists who were covering the protests. She alleged that some journalists were taken into custody despite showing their press cards to the police.
According to her, the cameras of some journalists were also allegedly seized, and they were told that their equipment would not be returned because they had been covering the protests. She also mentioned an alleged case of sexual harassment against a female journalist, claiming that when the journalist approached the police to file a complaint, an FIR was instead registered against her. Neha stated that the role of journalists is to bring events to the public’s attention, and preventing them from doing so poses a serious challenge to the democratic system.
Neha Bora and Supreme Court advocate Prashant Bhushan emphasized that the issue concerning voter rights is not limited to any single individual, political party, or organization. They framed it as a matter concerning the voting rights of ordinary citizens. They referred to ongoing protests in various locations, including Jantar Mantar in Delhi and Azad Maidan in Mumbai. Pointing to the fact that Saurav and Ashutosh have been remanded to five days of judicial custody, they argued that this should not be viewed merely as the detention of two individuals. They asserted that the movement will not come to an end through the persistent detention of protesters or police action.
