Delhi protests spread across several parts of the Capital on Saturday after security forces fortified Jantar Mantar, the announced site of the Cockroach Janta Party’s demonstration, and detained senior leaders and other participants. Small groups held flash protests near Dilli Haat, the Safdarjung flyover, Connaught Place, Gole Market, Sansad Marg, Shankar Road and Rajghat, while police used barricades, mass detentions and heavy deployment to prevent access to central Delhi.
The All India Students’ Association president Neha Bora, senior advocate Prashant Bhushan and activist Yogendra Yadav began a march from INA towards Dilli Haat at about 1 pm. The Indian Express reported that police stopped the march near INA Market–Dilli Haat and detained participants in buses. Officials cited in the report said around 200 protesters had been detained near Dilli Haat by 6:30 pm.
Dilli Haat authorities closed the popular market to visitors as demonstrations continued outside. The protesters were demanding the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the withdrawal of the Special Intensive Revision exercise. The report said the march and subsequent detentions occurred after it became difficult for protesters to reach Jantar Mantar because of barricading, travel restrictions and the deployment of security personnel.
The Safdarjung flyover near INA also became a protest site after police stopped Bora and other demonstrators while they were travelling towards Dilli Haat. About 50 people gathered there at around 3 pm, according to the report. Police cleared the flyover by around 6 pm after a confrontation that lasted nearly two hours; around 50 protesters were detained and others dispersed.
In Connaught Place, several small demonstrations broke out at different locations. About 150 people reached the Outer Circle, where most were detained within minutes, while another group of around 100 protesters was chased away after gathering near Connaught Place. A protester quoted by the Indian Express said participants had carried water, masks and protein bars but were unable to sustain the demonstrations because of the police response.
Two rounds of protests by Students’ Federation of India supporters took place in the high-security area around Gole Market and Sansad Marg. At about 1 pm, around 50 people reportedly crossed barricades near the Press Trust of India office, prompting police to push them back and detain about 30. At around 2:45 pm, another group of about 100 began marching from Gole Market towards Jantar Mantar and clashed with Central Reserve Police Force personnel.
A smaller protest also took place on Shankar Road near Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital at about 4 pm, where around 20 people sat in the middle of the road before police removed them. Near Rajghat, a group of 50 to 70 protesters marched for more than a kilometre on Ghata Masjid Road and was detained at a traffic signal.
The day’s events shifted the demonstrations from a single designated protest site to roads, markets, flyovers and public spaces across the Capital. The Indian Express report said protesters had been gathering in parks and other spaces while attempting to evade police before regrouping at different locations. The report did not provide details of any formal police order or the legal provisions under which the detentions were made.
