More than 7,000 people were detained in Delhi as authorities moved to prevent an anti-CEC protest at Jantar Mantar, prompting Chief Minister Rekha Gupta to accuse opposition parties and the CJP of creating disruption in the national capital.
The protest was planned to demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The CJP alleged that Mr. Kumar was responsible for manipulation of voter lists during the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls and for irregularities linked to Form 6, which is used for voter registration. These allegations were reported in the supplied account but were not independently established in it.
Among those detained were CJP leaders, AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal, leaders of Left parties and the Trinamool Congress, activists and students. CJP convener Abhijeet Dipke, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were detained after arriving at Delhi airport from Mumbai, according to the report. Several opposition leaders, including former Chief Ministers Mamata Banerjee, Pinarayi Vijayan and Manik Sarkar, were also detained while attempting to join the protest.
Heavy security was deployed across the capital and restrictions were imposed as the authorities sought to prevent the gathering at Jantar Mantar. The operation affected the movement of people travelling to work and raised concerns about access for daily-wage workers and patients travelling to hospitals, issues highlighted by the Chief Minister in her public statements.
In posts on X, Ms. Gupta said Delhi would not be held hostage and accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Mr. Kejriwal of attempting to turn the city into a battleground in association with the CJP. She described the disruption on the streets as unfortunate and praised the Delhi Police and security forces for maintaining control.
Ms. Gupta also said the Government would act firmly against what she described as attempts to create confrontation under the cover of protest. Her comments focused on the effect of demonstrations on public safety, livelihoods and the daily functioning of the capital, while also framing the episode as a political challenge to the mandate of the Delhi Government and the BJP.
Delhi BJP president and Union Minister Harsh Malhotra described the CJP protest as a failure and criticised those who participated. The report did not provide details of the restrictions imposed, the legal provisions used for the detentions, the number of people released or the duration of the police action.
The immediate administrative focus remains the maintenance of law and order in Delhi after the planned protest was stopped. Further details on the detentions, restrictions and any legal proceedings were not available in the supplied report.
