A protest by members of CJP and associated groups turned into a daylong operation across central Delhi on Saturday, with demonstrators detained at multiple locations after attempting to evade police restrictions and reach Jantar Mantar, according to a report by Jagran – New Delhi.
More than 20 young men were found inside an NDMC public toilet in Connaught Place after allegedly staying there overnight. The protesters had gathered gradually after restrictions were announced in the city on Friday and were reportedly planning to leave the facility in the morning to avoid the police security arrangements.
The public toilet normally closes at 10 pm and reopens at 6 am. Police found the group during a morning check and detained its members. Some of those detained were accused of forcing open the door to enter the facility, the report said. They were taken away in police vehicles, where they continued raising slogans and banging on the interior walls.
A similar confrontation unfolded near Bangla Sahib Gurdwara on Baba Kharak Singh Marg. Protesters reportedly moved out of the premises to raise slogans, including “Inquilab Zindabad” and “Jai Bhim”, before returning inside when police advanced. They came back onto the road when they found an opportunity, leading to further detentions.
The gurdwara management said the protesters were unarmed and were not raising slogans inside the premises. It therefore did not allow police to enter the complex, according to the report. The account highlights the operational difficulty faced by police in managing a dispersed demonstration across public, religious and commercial spaces in central Delhi.
Police also detained members of student organisations who were moving from Baba Kharak Singh Marg towards Ashoka Road. Left leaders who had left Kerala House to join the protest were detained as well. The operation continued at several locations as protesters repeatedly moved between hiding places and the streets.
The events followed restrictions announced in the capital ahead of the CJP demonstration. The reported detentions took place as police attempted to prevent protesters from advancing towards Jantar Mantar. The report did not specify the total number of people detained, the legal provisions invoked or the duration of custody.
The episode also placed public facilities and institutional premises at the centre of a policing operation. An NDMC toilet in Connaught Place became a temporary hiding place for protesters, while the position taken by the Bangla Sahib management limited police access to the gurdwara complex. The locations underline how restrictions on movement during major demonstrations can extend beyond designated protest sites and affect ordinary urban spaces.
The report said police continued detaining protesters during the day despite their attempts to regroup. Further official details on the number of detainees and the next legal steps were not available in the supplied account.
