Delhi Police detained All India Students’ Association president Neha Bora and several other prominent figures on October 10 while they were travelling to a planned protest at Dilli Haat, as barricades and movement restrictions were imposed across parts of south and central New Delhi.
Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist)-Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, political commentator Yogendra Yadav and senior advocate Prashant Bhushan were also detained, according to The Hindu. The detentions took place amid a planned anti-CEC protest and attempts by demonstrators to assemble near Dilli Haat and Jantar Mantar.
Bora and other leaders were detained near the Safdarjung Airport flyover. In a video shared on X, Bora said she was in detention but that the movement would continue, while urging people to gather at the flyover. She also said that Dilli Haat had effectively become an alternative site for the protest after restrictions were imposed around Jantar Mantar.
Delhi Police erected barricades from Jor Bagh to prevent protesters from entering the Dilli Haat area. Despite the restrictions, several protesters were seen walking towards the location through bylanes, according to the report. The developments turned access to roads, public spaces and designated protest venues into a central feature of the day’s mobilisation.
AISA leaders also alleged that the Delhi Police had taken away the phones of Bora and another activist, Nirma, at the Maidan Garhi detention centre. They alleged that the two women were being kept in an isolated room and that lawyers were not being allowed to meet them. “We demand Neha’s and Nirma’s phone be immediately returned and they be allowed to meet their lawyers,” the leaders said, according to The Hindu.
Bora had earlier criticised the police for detaining citizens “without any grounds” in connection with the planned protest. In a post on X, she described the restrictions as a shutdown of the capital and said that citizens were being detained or stopped while attempting to reach the protest site.
The reported detentions and barricading came as authorities sought to restrict access to areas around Dilli Haat, Jantar Mantar, Jor Bagh and the Safdarjung Airport flyover. The locations are connected by major roads and public transport routes, meaning restrictions in the area can affect both protesters and ordinary commuters moving through south Delhi.
The immediate dispute centred on whether protesters would be allowed to assemble at or reach the designated locations, while AISA’s allegations concerning access to phones and lawyers introduced a separate question about conditions at the detention centre. The Hindu report did not include a response from the Delhi Police to those allegations.
According to the report, protesters continued to move towards Dilli Haat through alternative routes after the barricades were installed. Further developments were expected as police restrictions and the planned mobilisation continued through the day.
