Around 6,000 people, including opposition leaders, activists, journalists and alleged bystanders, were detained at locations across Delhi on Saturday as police moved to contain a protest demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, The Indian Express reported. The crackdown restricted access to Jantar Mantar but did not prevent groups of protesters from staging demonstrations across the capital.
Police detained people in groups at several locations, with protesters reportedly taken to detention centres. Spontaneous gatherings involving 100 to 150 people were reported at Dilli Haat, the Safdarjung Airport flyover, Rajghat and Connaught Place during the afternoon. The detentions followed a call by the Cockroach Janta Party, a youth platform, for a protest against Kumar.
The party’s leaders Abhijeet Dipke, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were detained after police entered the aircraft in which they had arrived in Delhi from Mumbai at around 10.20 am. They were taken to separate undisclosed locations. Dipke later announced in a video that Ajinkya Shinde, the party’s national organisation in-charge, would lead the movement. Police subsequently gave Dipke the option of remaining in detention or travelling to Maharashtra after he received news of his paternal grandmother’s death.
Neha, a leader of the students’ organisation All India Students’ Association, was detained near Dilli Haat along with activists Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan. She said on social media around 7 pm that she had been released. Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk had earlier said he could begin a hunger strike or a padayatra if Neha and others were not released by Sunday.
Several political leaders were also detained. Former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was detained outside her Delhi residence along with other Trinamool Congress leaders. Former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan was taken to Chhatrasal Stadium, while former Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar and other Left leaders were also detained. Former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, along with AAP leaders Sanjay Singh and Saurabh Bharadwaj, was detained outside Kejriwal’s Lodhi Estate residence.
Police sources said YouTuber Dhruv Rathee was picked up from his home in Gurugram’s Sector 56 early in the morning and taken to a Crime Branch office. Delhi Police reported that approximately 1,200 people had been detained overnight and around 500 more were detained after arriving in groups during the morning.
The detentions drew competing statements from opposition leaders and the Delhi government. Rahul Gandhi said the protests would continue, while Vijayan accused the government of using state repression against people demanding electoral accountability. Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said Delhi would not be held hostage and described the protests as an attempt to spread anarchy. BJP national president Nitin Nabin alleged that the Opposition was attempting to destabilise the country in collusion with foreign powers.
Saturday’s protests did not produce violence on the scale reported during the CJP-led march to Parliament on July 20, according to The Indian Express. However, stones were thrown at a bus carrying detained protesters near Jhandewalan. Police said six personnel, including a member of the Pink Force, were injured while detaining protesters. The CJP said its protest would continue until Gyanesh Kumar resigned, while opposition parties planned a march to the Supreme Court on Monday.
