Delhi Police have intensified security preparations ahead of the proposed October 10 protest at Jantar Mantar, deploying nearly 4,000 personnel, requisitioning 20 companies of Central Armed Police Forces and monitoring possible mobilisation from neighbouring states, according to a report by The Times of India.
The protest is being organised by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), which has not received permission from Delhi Police so far. CJP spokesperson Saurav Das informed the police on Wednesday about the planned demonstration. Party leader Ashutosh Ranka alleged in a social media post that right-wing fringe groups had been mobilised from different parts of the country to unleash violence against peaceful protesters. He said the demonstration would remain peaceful and that violence against people would not be tolerated.
Police preparations follow a large CJP-led mobilisation in Delhi in July over the alleged NEET-UG paper leak. Protesters had attempted to march towards Parliament and sought the resignation of then Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The proposed October 10 demonstration is also expected to place pressure on the New Delhi district’s traffic, policing and public-order arrangements.
According to the report, Delhi Police have asked station house officers across the city to monitor about 2,800 people identified through a facial recognition system as having alleged criminal antecedents. Officers have been directed to ascertain whether any of them are travelling towards the New Delhi district. Police are also tracking bus operators and other resource providers who helped arrange logistics for the earlier agitation, while monitoring bus bookings and organised movement towards the capital.
Entry routes from Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and other adjoining areas are under heightened surveillance, with barricades planned at key points. Police have additionally been asked to engage with universities, colleges and owners of paying-guest accommodation and advise them to discourage students from joining the proposed demonstration. The report did not state whether any court or administrative order had authorised these proposed restrictions.
Police said 2,873 people who attended or were present near the July agitation at Jantar Mantar had been identified as having alleged criminal antecedents. Of this group, nearly 989 were allegedly linked to heinous offences. Police further claimed that 101 had been booked in murder cases, including 42 allegedly involved in two or more murder cases and 12 who had been booked in 10 or more murder cases. These are police claims reported by The Times of India and are not findings of a court in the supplied material.
Since October 1, Delhi Police have requisitioned at least 20 companies of Central Armed Police Forces for deployment in and around Jantar Mantar. Temporary detention facilities at stadiums are also being considered in case large numbers of protesters arrive and refuse to disperse. The proposed arrangements indicate that authorities are preparing not only for security at the protest site but also for the management of movement into central Delhi and possible crowd dispersal.
The police response places Jantar Mantar’s role as a designated protest venue alongside the wider question of how large demonstrations are managed in the capital. For residents, commuters and students, the immediate effects could include additional checks, diversions, barricading and restricted movement around the New Delhi district. Delhi Police’s preparations are continuing ahead of the proposed October 10 protest, while permission for the demonstration remains pending.
