Delhi Police has planned a 23-zone security grid, route diversions, checkpoints and temporary detention facilities across the capital ahead of the Cockroach Janta Party’s protest at Jantar Mantar on October 10, with restrictions expected to extend as far as 18 km from the protest site.
The arrangements will cover routes linking Central Delhi with South Delhi, South-West Delhi, Gurugram and Uttar Pradesh. Police plan to station nearly 600 low-floor buses to transport detained protesters and have identified around 30 temporary detention facilities in police buildings, stations and sports complexes across the city.
The police operation is centred on preventing what officers described as an unauthorised gathering and stopping protesters within their respective districts before they reach Jantar Mantar. Around 22 officers of Deputy Commissioner of Police rank will supervise arrangements in the New Delhi district, where the protest site is located.
Routes from Indira Gandhi International Airport are among those expected to face restrictions. CJP leaders, including Abhijeet Dipke, are expected to arrive at the airport around 8 am on Saturday. The route towards Jantar Mantar via Sardar Patel Marg and the Dhaula Kuan flyover is expected to see diversions. The airport is about 18 km from Jantar Mantar, and the same corridor is used by commuters travelling between Delhi and Gurugram.
Mathura Road, which connects Shaheen Bagh with Central Delhi, is expected to face barricading and diversions from 6 am. Police have also planned checks around Kalindi Kunj and the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border, as well as at Moti Bagh and Africa Avenue for routes from R K Puram and Vasant Kunj. Lodhi Road, Ashoka Road and other roads leading towards sensitive locations will also be monitored.
More than 37 blocking points have been identified in the New Delhi district. These include Tolstoy Road, the Shangri-La roundabout and Ashoka Road, where clashes were reported during the CJP’s July 20 ‘Sansad Chalo’ march. According to the report, Tolstoy Road has been sealed since October 2 with 10 barricades and more than 30 Rapid Action Force personnel. Barricades and police vans have also been placed on Ashoka Road.
The temporary detention facilities include the Rajiv Gandhi Sports Complex, Chhatrasal Stadium and Yamuna Sports Complex, located in Dwarka, Bawana, Kanjhawala, Narela and parts of East Delhi. Preventive action is also being taken against people suspected of mobilising protesters or arranging logistical support, while establishments have been asked to alert local police about suspicious activity, officers said.
Police personnel equipped with body-worn cameras will be deployed at identified flashpoints and pickets to record interactions with protesters. Officers said the cameras are intended to provide a record of enforcement and support accountability during crowd-control operations. Reserve forces, women personnel and additional district-level teams will be deployed in shifts.
Central and South districts have prepared deployment plans for locations including Flag Point on Mahatma Gandhi Marg, Minto Bridge, Chitragupt Road, Chelmsford Road, Rani Jhansi Road, Hanuman Mandir and Shanker Road. Inter-district pickets will also be established between New Delhi and Central districts and at connecting points involving South, South-East and South-West Delhi.
Delhi Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar reviewed the arrangements with senior officers at Police Headquarters on Thursday. A senior officer said district heads had been directed to establish special detention centres and stop protesters within their own districts.
