Delhi Police have intensified preventive measures in the capital ahead of an October 10 protest at Jantar Mantar against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, detaining a man accused of distributing posters and warning residents against joining the gathering.
The protest has been jointly called by the Cockroach Janta Party and the All India Students’ Association. Several Opposition parties are also expected to participate. Police have not granted permission for the gathering and have cited prohibitory orders imposed under Section 163 in Central and New Delhi.
According to sources cited by The Indian Express, police received information on Thursday afternoon about people distributing pamphlets outside a college in South Delhi. A Special Cell team reached the location and allegedly found one person carrying pamphlets and posters bearing the slogan “Chalo Jantar Mantar” along with demands linked to the protest. The man was taken to a police station for questioning.
Police are also probing what sources described as a wider conspiracy involving the printing and distribution of posters in different parts of Delhi. Local police personnel have reportedly been visiting neighbourhoods and meeting community leaders and members of peace committees, asking them to cooperate with the authorities and avoid attending the gathering.
The measures have triggered allegations from protest organisers and Opposition groups that security personnel are detaining or intimidating members to prevent them from travelling to Delhi. The Campaign for Judicial Accountability and Reforms alleged that police personnel entered the South Extension residence of its North Zone coordinator, Mohan Yadav, during the night. CJP co-convener Saurav Das made the allegation in a post on X and said Yadav’s wife and children had been affected by the incident. The report did not include an independent confirmation of the allegation.
The Students’ Federation of India also alleged that police personnel carrying lathis arrived at its Central Executive Committee office at HKS Surjeet Bhawan in New Delhi. The organisation said officers attempted to collect details of activists travelling to the capital for the protest. These claims were made in posts shared on X and were not independently verified in the report.
AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj separately alleged that Delhi Police were contacting party workers and asking for their locations. He claimed that AAP workers were being detained in large numbers ahead of the protest. Delhi Police officers contacted by The Indian Express said the force was taking all necessary precautionary measures to prevent any untoward incidents on October 10.
The episode places Delhi’s protest-management system under scrutiny as the administration balances public-order restrictions with preparations for a politically contested gathering. The immediate operational question is whether the protest will proceed despite the lack of police permission and the restrictions in Central and New Delhi. Police preparations and the organisers’ mobilisation are expected to determine the situation around Jantar Mantar on October 10.
