More than 1,500 people have been detained across Delhi ahead of the Cockroach Janta Party’s proposed protest at Jantar Mantar, while police restrictions and transport disruptions have expanded across the national capital, according to a report by The Times of India.
The detentions followed an intensified security operation before the party’s planned ‘Jantar Mantar 2.0’ demonstration against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The party is seeking his resignation over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls and has also demanded that the exercise be scrapped.
Delhi Police had denied permission for the protest, citing public safety, traffic management and law-and-order concerns. According to the report, officials also referred to the protest application being submitted fewer than 10 days before the proposed demonstration and alleged non-compliance with conditions during an earlier agitation.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, co-convenor Ashutosh Ranka and party leader Saurav Das were detained after arriving at Indira Gandhi International Airport on Saturday. The three leaders were subsequently moved to different locations: Dipke was taken to Gurugram, Ranka to Dwarka and Das to another location in Delhi.
The report also said that YouTuber Dhruv Rathee was detained from his residence in Gurgaon. CJP legal team head Ratna Singh and content creator Kavya Karnatac were reported to have been detained earlier on Saturday. A video shared by the party showed Dipke questioning the grounds for his detention while police personnel surrounded him at the airport.
The security arrangements were expected to involve around 35,000 Delhi Police and paramilitary personnel. Checkpoints and barricades were placed across the capital as authorities prepared for possible movement towards central Delhi and the Jantar Mantar area.
The measures also affected the city’s public transport system. Mobile internet services were suspended in parts of central Delhi, while entry and exit at several Metro stations were restricted. The restrictions have particular significance for commuters because Jantar Mantar is located near major government, commercial and railway-linked areas in central New Delhi.
More than 250 train services were also cancelled or affected, including 179 local trains and more than 75 long-distance mail and express services. The disruption was linked to concerns over traffic congestion around New Delhi and Hazrat Nizamuddin railway stations.
The episode places multiple layers of Delhi’s urban mobility network under pressure at the same time: roads are being managed through checkpoints and barricades, Metro access is restricted, mobile connectivity is limited in parts of central Delhi and rail services are affected. These measures can alter commuting routes well beyond the immediate protest site.
The CJP has maintained that it intends to continue its campaign for free and fair elections. Its demands include the removal of the Chief Election Commissioner and the withdrawal of the Special Intensive Revision exercise. Delhi Police’s restrictions and the reported detentions remain tied to the authorities’ stated concerns over safety, traffic and law and order.
