E-Paper
CJP files police complaint, alleges man planted at Delhi protest to make anti-India remarks
CJP identified an individual named Mayank Bhandari, who entered the June 6 protest and allegedly made controversial remarks on camera.
Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) has filed a criminal complaint against political commentator Abhijit Iyer-Mitra and an unidentified individual, alleging a criminal conspiracy to disrupt public order and discredit a protest organised by the group at Delhi's Jantar Mantar.
According to the complaint, an individual entered the June 6 protest and allegedly made controversial remarks while interacting with journalists and members of the public on camera.
CJP has claimed that the comments, which allegedly included support for breaking up India, were aimed at provoking outrage and falsely linking the protest with anti-national views.
CJP cites social media post
The complaint refers to a social media post by Iyer-Mitra in which he said he had "sent" a man to the protest venue. CJP has cited the post as evidence of his involvement in the episode and identified the man as Mayank Bhandari.
While Iyer-Mitra has reportedly described the incident as sarcasm or a form of ground reporting, the organisation has alleged that the act was deliberate and premeditated. The complaint contends that the objective was to disrupt a peaceful gathering, inflame public sentiment and create conditions that could potentially lead to a law-and-order situation.
Saurav Das alleges bid to derail protest
In a video statement released by the organisation, CJP spokesperson Saurav Das said the group had anticipated attempts by "anti-social" and "anti-India" elements to infiltrate the demonstration.
"On June 6, a historic protest by young people took place at Jantar Mantar. Before this protest, however, we repeatedly warned that some anti-social elements and anti-India elements would try to infiltrate the protest and either deliver provocative speeches or make inflammatory statements to the media," Das said.
Referring to Iyer-Mitra's social media post, he added: "Just yesterday, Abhijit Iyer-Mitra, who is a member of what we call the 'danga dalal gang (riot-broker gang),' posted a tweet acknowledging that he had sent a person named Mayank Bhandari to the protest."
Das alleged that such individuals were attempting to undermine the movement because of the growing participation of young people.
"We had already warned that members of this so-called riot-broker gang would infiltrate the protest and try to derail it. They would try to delegitimize it because they cannot tolerate the fact that 65% of the country's youth may unite and put forward their demands. This is a very serious issue," he said.
He also urged supporters of the organisation to remain vigilant during future demonstrations.
Controversial remarks cited in complaint
The video statement shared by CJP also included a clip that forms part of the basis of its complaint. In the unverified footage, a reporter asks a man whether he would tolerate calls for the country to be broken up.
"If someone comes here and says that the country should be broken into seven pieces, would you tolerate that?" the reporter asks.
"Absolutely," the man responds.
The reporter then follows up: "You would tolerate the country being broken into 60 pieces?"
"Absolutely," the man replies again.
CJP has alleged that the remarks were made with the intention of discrediting the protest and associating the organisers with views they do not endorse. The allegations made in the complaint have not been independently verified by HT.
