About 41,000 security personnel turned the Capital into a fortress on Saturday to thwart a planned protest demanding the resignation of chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, launching an unprecedented clampdown that saw the detention of 7,000 people and left large chunks of Delhi deserted.
The Opposition – which had brought central Delhi to a halt last week – has already declared fresh protests from Monday. Reeling, the CJP announced a second consecutive day of stirs on Sunday, when the Supreme Court will also hold a special sitting to hear pleas filed against the controversial crackdown.
The three leaders of the CJP had not been released at the time of going to print. Four former chief ministers and the leaders of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) – a satirical movement that forced the resignation of the education minister three months ago – were among those detained as police cracked down on students, lawyers and politicians, successfully refusing passage to Jantar Mantar. Yet, sporadic protests bubbled up at different points of the city throughout the day, even as police rushed to smother the stirs. “It’s very scary here. Why can’t we protest? Former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and other Aam Aadmi Party leaders such as Sanjay Singh and Saurabh Bhardwaj were detained from near Jantar Mantar after they started from Lodhi Estate and taken to Jafarpur Kalan police station. Former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee and other Trinamool Congress leaders were detained from the South Avenue area and were taken to Dwarka North police station. The BJP hit back. People from Congress + AAP + Left + CJP openly wreaked havoc in the name of protest. It also alleged that election officials found their access to the ECI software curtailed by the central IT team. Prohibitory orders were imposed in parts of central Delhi. Mamata Banerjee was stopped along with Trinamool Congress MPs, while several Left leaders faced police action elsewhere. Dipke named Ajinkya Shinde to lead the protest while he and other organisers were in detention.
Authorities had imposed restrictions across the Capital since Friday, with thousands of police on the streets, internet services suspended near Jantar Mantar, cancellation of many trains to Delhi and the controversial closure of 45 Metro stations – the largest this year. The unrest is part of a longer string of events that have mounted pressure on Kumar over the controversial special intensive revision – which has already deleted 130 million names from India’s electoral rolls – and other allegations. The developments come after an Indian Express investigation said election commissioners SS Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had recorded written dissents and objections at least 14 times between November 2025 and August 2026 and even written to the cabinet secretary. It also cited the organisers’ application, filed on October 7, which did not meet the prescribed 10-day notice period.
Isn’t it our right?” said Shweta Singh, a student. Before the detention, police personnel told the CJP leaders that they did not have permission for the Jantar Mantar stir. Dipke said the CJP leaders were being detained as if they were criminals. He said that even former prime minister Indira Gandhi did not do this – a reference to the Emergency – adding that it amounted to dictatorship. The Delhi Police, engaged in ensuring law and order, and all security forces were provoked, and deliberate attempts were made to create a confrontational situation,” chief minister Rekha Gupta said on X. ECI said differing views and observations were a normal part of deliberation and that all its digital platforms operated under strict data security protocols. Earlier reporting noted: Delhi Police said it had refused permission for the demonstration on security grounds. Earlier reporting noted: The CJP condemned the detentions and said its agitation would continue.
Earlier reporting noted: Former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan were also detained. Police started detaining people going to the protest – the authorities had earlier said they denied permission for the stir – by 1am on Saturday, laying spike strips on arterial roads, erecting thousands of yellow barricades that choked traffic, and putting up loudspeakers that blared prerecorded police warnings against unlawful gatherings. “What happened on the streets of Delhi today is extremely unfortunate.
