The Goa Police on Tuesday defended before the Goa Bench of the Bombay High Court the detention of seven Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) members during a protest at Azad Maidan in Panaji, citing the outfit’s history of protests without permission. The court, which had ordered their release on Sunday, adjourned the hearing till October 19.
On Sunday evening, a Bench of Justice Valmiki Menezes and Justice Amit Jamsandekar heard a plea moved by advocate Malisa Simoes challenging the detention of Afreen Shaikh, Jack Sukhija, Bupesh Bind, Aditya Parulekar, Listan Noronha, Shamino Fernandes and Milind Rane. The court noted an allegation that no order had been passed under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) prohibiting any gathering at Azad Maidan or any part of it, and said the detention may not have been authorised. It noted that Executive Magistrate Dattaprasad Toraskar, who was at the site, had instructed the police to detain the seven for entering Azad Maidan.
The Bench directed the Panaji Police Station to release them, on the condition that they would not protest that night. The advocate for the detainees gave an undertaking to that effect, without prejudice to the detainees’ rights and contentions. The Bench also directed the State to file an affidavit.
In the affidavit filed on Tuesday through Panaji Police Station Inspector Vijaykumar Chodankar, the police justified the detention. They cited three instances in which CJP members organised protests without permission and alleged that the outfit patronised Umar Khalid.
The affidavit cited a protest on July 25 over the NEET exams, during which Mohammed Zanskar Danish (30) was found at a dharna at Azad Maidan with a placard reading “Umar Khalid” and “Sharjeel Imam” and a bag reading “Palestine will be free”. The police took Danish to the police station for inquiry. A number of protesters gathered outside, and the police asked them not to cause a nuisance or block the road. They also asked them to show permission from an authority to hold the dharna in front of Police Headquarters, Panaji.
On Sunday, the affidavit said, several CJP members and others, mostly from outside Goa, gathered at the entrance of Azad Maidan and shouted slogans against the Union Government, the State Government and Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar. The police said protests were not allowed inside Azad Maidan under an October 9, 2026 order of the District Magistrate, North Goa. They added that CJP protesters had earlier violated conditions imposed by authorities. The police made arrangements as per a scheme issued by superiors. When the protesters entered Azad Maidan, one sustained injuries after a fall. The police detained all seven at 4:30 p.m. under Section 172(2) of the BNSS, 2023, saying they did not have permission to protest.
The police denied the allegations of use of force. They said the protesters were not arrested, so there was no question of communicating grounds of arrest, and that force was used only to prevent the protesters from taking the law into their own hands. They also stated that no injuries were caused to any detainee and denied dragging the protesters into a vehicle. Taking the affidavits on record, the Bench adjourned the hearing.
