Delhi Police has prepared a large security deployment for protests planned in the capital over the weekend, with 23,000 Central forces personnel being made available and the total Central Armed Police Forces presence expected to rise to about 26,000 with additional women personnel.
The measures follow a call by the Cockroach Janta Party and the All India Students’ Association for a sit-in at Jantar Mantar on Saturday. Several Opposition parties are also expected to join the protest, which follows demands for Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation. The Delhi Police has not granted permission for the gathering, citing prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita.
According to officers cited by The Indian Express, the Delhi Police intelligence unit expects more than 50,000 people, including participants from adjoining states, to gather in the city. The security arrangements are intended to prevent protesters from reaching Jantar Mantar and other sensitive areas of Central Delhi, while also protecting key government buildings and maintaining public order.
The Ministry of Home Affairs has made 221 companies of the Central Armed Police Forces, representing around 23,000 personnel, available to the Delhi Police from October 8 to 12. CRPF companies are being brought in from Jammu and Kashmir, West Bengal and Chhattisgarh. Officers described the mobilisation as one of the largest deployments of Central forces for protest-related law-and-order duties in the capital since the 2020 Northeast Delhi riots.
The Delhi Police will receive an additional 450 to 500 women paramilitary personnel, taking the total CAPF deployment to approximately 26,000. These personnel will work alongside women officers from the Delhi Police. A police officer said women had formed a significant part of earlier protests and that authorities were anticipating a larger turnout on October 10.
About 5,000 Delhi Police personnel are currently deployed in the New Delhi district, where Jantar Mantar is located. Officers said that number could increase to 15,000. Multi-layered barricades are being installed on roads leading to Jantar Mantar and Parliament, while prohibitory orders have also been imposed at Rajghat.
The restrictions are expected to affect movement through Central Delhi and access to major government precincts. Police have asked the Excise Department to direct liquor vendors to remain closed on Friday and Saturday, citing the possibility of law-and-order issues during the protests. Hotels in Central Delhi have also been asked to restrict room bookings, according to the report.
Police officials said students would be informed that any assembly in the New Delhi district area on October 10 would be unlawful. Delhi’s border points are being monitored, with officers instructed to watch for large groups attempting to enter the capital before Saturday. The security arrangements are scheduled to remain in place through October 12.
