CJP protests: Delhi locked down, turns into mass detention zone

NEW DELHI: The national capital turned into a fortress in the early hours of Saturday, with over a thousand student protesters, activists and political leaders detained, 45 metro stations shut and a near-total internet blackout in central Delhi, within a few kilometres of Jantar Mantar, in Connaught Place.

Police whistled continuously to drown out the voices of protesters who came to join the Cockroach Janata Party’s planned protest demanding chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation at Jantar Mantar, and repeatedly asked the media to move aside.

Eye on Social Media Activities


Cops also detained four former chief ministers — Arvind Kejriwal, Mamata Banerjee, Pinarayi Vijayan and Manik Sarkar, who were released later in the day.

A large number of police barricades were mounted on streets, with the deployment of over 30,000 police and paramilitary personnel, intensive checks at the city’s border points, railway stations, bus terminals, hotels and other sensitive locations, even as the restrictions disrupted movement across the capital.

Also Read: Posters, masks and swimming goggles: How Delhi protesters prepared for CJP's latest demonstration

Police also checked the identity cards of people moving around.

Police personnel were deployed at strategic locations, while mock drills were conducted at several places to assess preparedness and response mechanisms.

Also Read: Delhi’s Jantar Mantar protest spirals into chaos as demonstrators scatter across streets to evade mass detentions

Authorities also monitored social media platforms for attempts to mobilise people for the protest. More than 200 content creators were reportedly under scrutiny as police examined online posts and messages linked to the proposed gathering.

The Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) had called the protest over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Delhi Police denied permission, citing security and law and order concerns. In a letter to CJP, police also said the organisation’s communication was an intimation, not an application filed at least 10 days in advance, as the guidelines require.