Delhi Police commissioner Anurag Kumar has defended the denial of permission for the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)’s October 10 march and the preventive detention of protesters as “proportionate to the legitimate objective of maintaining law and order and preventing harm to persons and property”, asserting that the police administration could not have allowed breach of public order by an organisation with a recent history of mob violence, destruction of properties and incidents causing injuries to several people.
‘No police administration can permit any breach of public order’
The commissioner sought to justify the restrictions by citing what he describes as CJP’s repeated disregard of police directions and the conditions imposed for public demonstrations. The police claimed these gatherings choked central Delhi for hours, leaving students and other commuters stranded in traffic and causing some to miss trains and flights. The commissioner invoked the distinctive security requirements of the national capital, pointing to the presence of Parliament, the Supreme Court, Rashtrapati Bhawan, diplomatic missions and other sensitive institutions. He argued that policing in Delhi required a careful balance between the right to protest and the need to protect public and private property, prevent injury and preserve the everyday movement of residents.
The affidavit says the organisation had given a written undertaking for an earlier protest in June, including assurances that the gathering would remain peaceful, would not exceed 1,000 participants and would not turn into a march towards Parliament without prior permission. The police alleged that the undertaking was subsequently breached and that the organisation later mobilised people for an unauthorised march towards Parliament on July 20. These allegations concerning the July event led to the police’s decision to deny permission for the October 10 mobilisation, according to the affidavit. The commissioner has also relied on a series of mobilisations on October 6, 7 and 8, alleging they created serious public-order problems in central Delhi. The protests included a march to the office of the Election Commission of India on October 6, a march from Janpath to Jantar Mantar the following day, and another from the Outer Circle of Connaught Place towards Rajghat on October 8, according to the affidavit. The commissioner maintained that these events, alongside the July 20 episode, informed the police assessment of the risks posed by the proposed October 10 march.
The affidavit said more than a dozen police personnel were injured. “No police administration can permit any breach of public order in the national capital, particularly when a call is given by an organisation with a recent history of mob violence, destruction of public and private property, and incidents resulting in injuries to several individuals and the subsequent events of 6th, 7th and 8th October, 2026,” stated the affidavit.
Describing the conduct of some participants at these earlier October demonstrations, the commissioner alleged the gatherings had turned aggressive, with some people physically harassing police personnel and misbehaving with women officers.
