Delhi Police have retained strict movement and assembly curbs in parts of New Delhi as the Cockroach Janta Party called a fresh protest at Jantar Mantar on Sunday, with a senior police officer telling The Indian Express that groups of five or more could be detained in the New Delhi area.
The restrictions followed a protest call by the CJP demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. More than 40,000 police personnel were deployed across Delhi on Saturday, while over 7,000 people were detained by the end of the day, according to The Indian Express.
Police also detained CJP leaders Abhijeet Dipke, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka after they arrived at the Delhi airport. Barricades were placed at intervals of about 200 metres on roads leading to Jantar Mantar, and vehicles were frisked before being allowed to pass.
For Sunday’s proposed protest, around 30,000 police personnel were expected to remain deployed, supported by 200 companies of paramilitary forces. The police presence was reduced in some areas compared with Saturday, and traffic movement had eased on roads including Kasturba Gandhi Marg, Minto Road and Vande Mataram Marg.
However, key roads connecting to Parliament Street, including Ashoka Road, Tolstoy Road and Janpath, remained sealed. People without identity cards were not allowed through, while buses used to detain protesters remained stationed in the area, although fewer were visible than on Saturday.
Areas around Palika Bazaar, Hanuman Mandir, Baba Kharak Singh Marg and the inner circle of Connaught Place were reported to be largely deserted. The restrictions affected access to central Delhi’s commercial, public and transport corridors, even as metro travel was described as more relaxed than the previous day.
A police officer told The Indian Express that the force expected fewer people to reach Connaught Place on Sunday but would remain vigilant around Dilli Haat and Gole Market, where flash protests had taken place the previous day. Protesters unable to reach the fortified Jantar Mantar on Saturday had dispersed into smaller demonstrations in different parts of the city.
The fresh protest call was announced by CJP national organisation in-charge Ajinkya Shinde in a post on X, asking supporters to assemble at Jantar Mantar at 10 am. Shinde alleged that the government had detained the party’s leaders, student leaders and volunteers after the group sought the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner. The allegation was carried in the report and was not independently established in the supplied material.
The police restrictions and deployment were continuing as authorities prepared for the Sunday protest, with access controls focused on Parliament Street, Connaught Place and other locations where smaller demonstrations had occurred.
