Delhi faced widespread movement restrictions on Saturday as police detained political leaders, activists, lawyers and content creators ahead of a planned Cockroach Janta Party protest at Jantar Mantar, while barricades, traffic curbs and security checks disrupted parts of the capital’s transport network.
The protest was called to demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls and the handling of Form 6, which is used to register new voters. Delhi Police denied permission for the demonstration, citing security concerns and the timing of the application, which was submitted on October 7 against a prescribed 10-day notice period.
According to the report, police and paramilitary personnel were deployed across central Delhi, with checkpoints and barricades placed on roads leading towards the protest area. Police imposed prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita in parts of the capital. Restrictions also affected more than 40 metro stations, while over 250 trains had reportedly been cancelled up to 2 pm, adding to disruption for commuters.
Delhi Police sources said around 1,200 people had been detained overnight and approximately 500 more people arriving in groups were detained during the morning. By around 3 pm, the reported number of detentions had risen to more than 2,000. The figures were reported as police-source estimates and were not accompanied in the supplied report by a consolidated official detention list.
Among those detained were CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, YouTuber Dhruv Rathee, activist Yogendra Yadav and Supreme Court lawyer Prashant Bhushan. Dipke, along with Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, was detained inside an aircraft after arriving in Delhi for the protest, according to the report. Police also detained Ratna Singh, the party’s legal affairs head, while she was reportedly attempting to join the demonstration.
The restrictions prevented several groups from reaching Jantar Mantar. Activists instead attempted to march towards Dilli Haat, where AISA leader Neha Bora, Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan were detained. Students’ Federation of India president Adarsh M Saji told PTI that more than 400 organisation members had been detained after beginning their march around 10 am.
The Supreme Court Bar Association sought the intervention of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant over the detention of young lawyers, including women advocates, and called for their safety and the release of people against whom there were no lawful grounds for detention. Aishe Ghosh was among those reported detained near Gurudwara Bangla Sahib, while other activists were detained at different locations.
Political leaders were also detained outside residences and on routes leading to the protest site. Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee was detained outside her Delhi residence along with Derek O’Brien, Dola Sen, Saket Gokhale and Pratima Mondal. Former Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan was detained near Kerala House on Jantar Mantar Road, while CPI(M) leaders and other Left representatives were also reported detained.
Former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia was detained by Punjab Police in Chandigarh during a demonstration linked to the protest. In Mumbai, Tushar Gandhi and associates were detained while heading to August Kranti Maidan, according to a police official quoted in the report.
AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal criticised the detentions and alleged that the government was suppressing dissent over questions concerning the electoral process. These were political allegations and were not independently established in the supplied report. The Election Commission has defended its voter-verification exercise, while the BJP has rejected claims that the process was designed to benefit the ruling party.
The restrictions also triggered legal scrutiny, with a petition filed in the Supreme Court seeking contempt proceedings over alleged violations of a court direction concerning movement on October 10. The next legal and administrative steps, including the court’s response and any official clarification on the detentions, will determine how the restrictions are reviewed.
