Delhi Police detained former Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, actor Raj Zutshi, 15 journalists, students, content creators and hundreds of other people on Saturday as it moved to prevent the Cockroach Janta Party’s planned protest at Jantar Mantar, according to a report by The Indian Express. Police used makeshift detention centres in stadiums across the Capital, including Chhatrasal Stadium in north Delhi and Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Bawana.
The operation extended across Delhi’s 13 police districts, with detainees transported in buses and vans from areas around Jantar Mantar and Central Delhi. Vijayan, who was detained near Kerala House in the morning, was later released in the evening. The report said Zutshi was also among those detained and subsequently left the Chhatrasal Stadium complex.
At Chhatrasal Stadium, routine sporting activity continued as police vehicles brought in protesters and supporters. Officials recorded detainees’ personal details inside the complex, while a pavilion was being prepared to provide meals, drinking water and refreshments to police and Central Armed Police Forces personnel deployed at the site.
Detainees and people waiting outside raised concerns about the arrangements for those held. Shivansh Shukla, a final-year law student at Delhi University, told The Indian Express that around 500 people staged a protest over the lack of water. Water was supplied later in the evening, he said, but it was insufficient for the growing crowd.
Relatives, lawyers and well-wishers gathered outside the stadium to seek information about those detained. Brajesh Kumar, a guest lecturer at Delhi University’s Campus Law Centre and an advocate at the Delhi High Court, said he was there for 12 law students detained in the Jantar Mantar area. He said police asked detainees for their names, addresses, places of origin, companions and political affiliations.
Kumar told the newspaper that one of his students said he had not been at the protest but was still being asked to provide personal details. A confrontation also took place when people outside sought access to their detained friends. A senior Delhi Police officer told them they could meet the detainees only in jail and would need a court order, according to the report.
The operation also affected people who said they were not participating in the protest. Vishaka, a resident of Adarsh Nagar, said her brother-in-law was picked up while buying vegetables at Gole Market. At Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Bawana, a middle-aged man said he had been detained on Mahadev Road while taking a relative to hospital and had no connection with the demonstration.
Students from Delhi University and social media creators were also held at the Bawana facility. Tamanna, a 19-year-old political science student, said police stopped a group marching from Daryaganj towards Delhi Gate shortly after 11.45 am and transported the students to detention centres. Two content creators said they were detained while filming reels near Jantar Mantar.
Meera, a stylist and graphic designer, said she was detained after reaching the protest area with a flatmate. She alleged that police separated members of the group and forcibly took her phone, which contained recordings of clashes. The report did not include a police response to the allegations.
Inside the detention area, protesters continued chanting slogans, while former Kannur University vice-chancellor Gopinath Ravindran delivered an impromptu lecture on democracy, according to Meera. The detention centres were used as the planned protest site remained under police control. The report did not state the total number of people detained or identify the legal provisions used in each case.
