A protest demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar turned violent in central Delhi on Saturday after demonstrators allegedly crossed police barricades and threw stones at security personnel, injuring two police officers. More than 500 people were detained across several locations, according to officials cited by Jagran – New Delhi.
The confrontation took place near Akashvani Bhavan on Imtiaz Ali Road at about noon. Police said 25 to 30 protesters crossed the barricades and began pelting security personnel with stones. Some people were detained after police intervened, while security forces moved to prevent the gathering from advancing towards Jantar Mantar.
The protest had not been granted permission, and prohibitory restrictions were in force in New Delhi district, the report said. Despite the restrictions, groups of demonstrators attempted to assemble at different points and break through security cordons. Police and paramilitary personnel detained protesters from areas including Connaught Place and transported them in buses.
The administration divided New Delhi district into 20 sectors to manage the protest and deployed senior officers to monitor the situation. The security arrangement affected several central Delhi locations as authorities attempted to contain the gathering and prevent further movement towards the planned protest site.
The report identified the protesting organisation as the Cockroach Janata Party, or CJP. Its proposed demonstration was directed at the Chief Election Commissioner and included a demand for Kumar’s resignation. Several detainees were seen raising slogans, including “Inquilab Zindabad”, according to the report.
Before the confrontation in central Delhi, CJP leaders Abhijit Dipke, Sourav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were also detained at Delhi airport after arriving in the national capital. The action formed part of the wider police response to the proposed demonstration.
The incident added pressure to security and traffic management in the city centre. A related report cited by Jagran said shops in parts of Delhi were closed during the protest, while the Khan Market Traders Association called for calm in commercial areas. Another report said the demonstration caused traffic congestion across Delhi-NCR, with long vehicle queues and thousands of commuters affected.
The immediate official response described in the report focused on detentions, sector-based deployment and preventing protesters from reaching Jantar Mantar. Further legal action against those detained, including the two incidents involving alleged stone-pelting and unauthorised assembly, was not specified in the supplied report.
