Annamalai questions Delhi Police action against CJP protesters over electoral roll revision

Former Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai, now founder of the 'We The Leaders' movement, publicly questioned the Delhi Police's handling of Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protesters detained after demonstrations in the capital, saying he does not agree with the group's protest methods but supports the questions it has raised (Hindustan Times, The Economic Times, India Today). Speaking to reporters on Tuesday and later in a post on X, he said the police were doing a real disservice and that the continued custody of CJP leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka raised concerns about the rule of law (The Times of India, The Economic Times, DNA India).

What every report agrees on

All the reports describe the same sequence: CJP leaders were detained in Delhi after protests demanding the Chief Election Commissioner's resignation over alleged discrepancies in the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, and Annamalai criticised the police response while distancing himself from the group's tactics (O Heraldo, Hindustan Times, India Today, ThePrint). He defended the right to protest on issues citizens consider important and raised questions about preventive detention powers, the denotification of Jantar Mantar as a protest site and the conduct of bond and bail proceedings (The Free Press Journal, The Indian Express, DNA India). Several reports note he invoked a 2011 statement by Narendra Modi opposing a police crackdown on the anti-corruption movement, and said that questioning due process should not lead to accusations of being a foreign agent (The Free Press Journal, The New Indian Express, ThePrint).

How the left-leaning press told it

Hindustan Times, The Hindu, The Indian Express and The New Indian Express: Manufacturing enemies, suppressing dissent

Left-leaning outlets led with Annamalai's criticism of the ruling party as much as of the police. Hindustan Times, rated centre-left, reported his measured support for the CJP's questions and his remark that arrests would only make the group stronger (Hindustan Times). The Hindu and The Indian Express, both rated centre-left, framed his remarks as an accusation that the government manufactures an enemy to stay relevant after twelve years in power, with The Hindu adding his claim that a BJP MLA's burning of a cockroach effigy gave the group free publicity (The Hindu, The Indian Express). The New Indian Express, rated centre-left, focused on his post-BJP positioning, noting he said he left the party on June 5, 2026 and faced attacks from party supporters (The New Indian Express).

How the right-leaning press told it

The Times of India, The Economic Times, India Today and ThePrint: Due process and rule of law

Right-leaning outlets led with the due process and custody questions. The Times of India, rated centre-right, set out the court's two-day extension of custody, the allegations of entering Jantar Mantar without permission and obstructing police, and the rejection of bail sureties over document mismatches (The Times of India). The Economic Times and India Today, both rated centre-right, carried his statement that the Delhi Police were doing a real disservice and that the government must address the questions raised (The Economic Times, India Today). ThePrint, rated centre-right, highlighted his use of a Modi remark from 2011 and his objection to protests being labelled anti-national and foreign-funded (ThePrint).

The coverage of this story does not divide along left and right lines.

What the record shows

On the court record, The Times of India reports that a Delhi court extended the custody of Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka by two days over allegations of entering Jantar Mantar without permission and obstructing police, and that their bail sureties were rejected because of document mismatches (The Times of India). Annamalai's own case rests on five questions he posed in a post on X about the denotification of Jantar Mantar as a protest site and alleged procedural irregularities in bail hearings, alongside concerns about preventive detention powers (The Indian Express, The Free Press Journal). CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke is quoted saying the two were arrested for waving the national flag at the protest site, an account the reports do not independently verify (The Times of India). None of the reports read here carries a response from the Delhi Police to the specific procedural allegations, so whether the arrests and continued custody breached due process is not settled by the record presented.

Drafted by the Alethman engine from 12 independent reports, and checked by an editor before publication. An outlet's side comes from published media-bias ratings (Media Bias/Fact Check, AllSides) or documented ownership, named under the coverage bar; Alethman does not rate outlets itself.