More than 1,000 people were detained across Delhi ahead of a planned protest at Jantar Mantar against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, with police and Central Armed Police Forces deployed around the protest venue, transport hubs and border areas.
The detentions were reported before the expected arrival of Abhijeet Deepke, who had said on X that he would land in Delhi at 9:30 am. Live Hindustan, citing a Hindustan Times report and police officials, said the action began late on Friday and continued on Saturday morning to prevent gatherings and maintain law and order.
Restrictions under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita are in force in and around areas near Jantar Mantar. The provision has been used to regulate assembly in the area as authorities prepare for the proposed demonstration on October 10.
A senior police officer said South-East Delhi police detained more than 250 people after identifying suspected protesters around Shaheen Bagh and Jamia Nagar. More than 100 people were also detained in East and North-East Delhi, according to the report. Police also detained people near railway stations, bus stops and the airport, the report said.
The police action has extended beyond the immediate protest site, covering locations through which participants could travel into the capital. The reported focus on border areas and transport hubs indicates that authorities are attempting to prevent large groups from reaching central Delhi before the demonstration begins.
The scale of the deployment is also significant. According to the report, 20,000 police personnel and 23,000 CAPF personnel have been positioned at Jantar Mantar and surrounding areas. Security has additionally been increased outside the airport ahead of the expected arrival of party members.
Saurav Das, co-convenor of the Cockroach Janata Party, had said on X that party members would reach Delhi on Saturday. Deepke later criticised the detentions and the security arrangements, writing that the reported action before the protest showed that the government had accepted defeat. His comments were political claims and were not independently established in the report.
The planned protest is directed against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The supplied report does not provide details of the protesters’ specific allegations against the Election Commission or state how long the restrictions and detentions will remain in place.
The immediate administrative issue is the management of access to Jantar Mantar while authorities enforce restrictions on assembly. Further developments will depend on whether the protest takes place, whether additional detentions are made and what the Delhi Police says about the status of those already detained.
