Stories
National flag waving is a crime! Abhishek hits out as Ashutosh and Sourav custody extended
- •A Delhi court has extended the judicial custody of Cockroach Janata Party leaders Ashutosh Ranka and Sourav Das by two days following a police appeal.
- •Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee slammed the arrest on X, calling it a tragic irony that a citizen can spend seven days in custody simply for waving the national flag.
- •Abhishek questioned the state of democracy in India, asking how free citizens are and how independent the judiciary is when the symbol of freedom invites punishment.
- •The two CJP leaders were arrested last Tuesday by Delhi Police after they jumped barricades at Jantar Mantar and waved the tricolour, sparking severe backlash from party chief Abhijit Dipke.
Key Questions Answered
Ashutosh Ranka and Sourav Das were arrested after ignoring police restrictions, jumping over barricades, and entering Jantar Mantar—which has been denotified as a protest area—where they waved the national tricolour flag and demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Following an appeal by the Delhi Police, the magistrate extended the judicial custody of the CJP leaders by two days, keeping them in Tihar Jail until October 21 before they are produced before the magistrate again.
Abhishek Banerjee strongly criticized the arrest on social media, calling it a tragic irony that citizens face seven days of judicial custody simply for waving the national flag. CJP chief Abhijit Dipke also expressed outrage over the detention, questioning the actions of the authorities.
