A Delhi protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar turned confrontational near Akashwani Bhawan on Saturday, after stone pelting injured two police personnel and prompted authorities to detain several protesters and tighten security in the area.
The incident took place during the Cockroach Janta Party’s proposed demonstration, which sought Kumar’s resignation over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. Delhi Police had denied permission for the protest, citing public safety, traffic management and law-and-order concerns.
Police personnel moved to control the situation after stone pelting was reported near Akashwani Bhawan. Sub-Inspector Bajrang Jadhav was among those injured. Jadhav told the Times of India that he was pushed while police were apprehending protesters, causing his injury.
The confrontation occurred amid heightened security across the capital ahead of the party’s proposed ‘Jantar Mantar 2.0’ demonstration. Authorities deployed thousands of police and paramilitary personnel, installed barricades and increased checks at entry points to prevent unauthorised gatherings, according to the report.
More than 1,500 people had been detained from different parts of Delhi before the proposed demonstration. CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, co-convenor Saurav Das and leader Ashutosh Ranka were among those detained after arriving in the city. YouTuber Dhruv Rathee was also detained from his residence in Gurgaon, the report said.
The scale of the preventive deployment affected the city’s public-order and movement arrangements beyond the immediate protest location. Police personnel assigned to security operations were wearing body cameras to record interactions with protesters and help establish the sequence of events during any confrontation.
The CJP has said it intends to continue its campaign for free and fair elections and is demanding the removal of the Chief Election Commissioner over alleged voter-list manipulation. The report did not provide details of any police case or further legal action arising from the stone-pelting incident. Security arrangements remained in place as authorities managed the proposed demonstration.
