New Delhi, Oct 10 (V7N)- Indian authorities have detained hundreds of people and intensified security across New Delhi ahead of a protest organized by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), which is demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in voter-list revisions.
Officials said around 500 people who arrived to participate in the demonstration had been detained as part of measures to prevent unauthorized gatherings and maintain public order.
CJP founder Abhijit Deepke and two other party leaders, Saurabh Das and Ashutosh Ranka, were also detained after arriving at Delhi airport from Mumbai ahead of the planned rally at Jantar Mantar.
Political content creator Dhruv Rathee was reportedly detained at his residence in Gurugram, Haryana, amid the wider security operation.
Authorities have deployed thousands of security personnel across the capital, with police conducting searches and using drones to monitor sensitive areas. Reports have put the security deployment at more than 23,000 personnel, including Delhi Police and central security forces.
Several metro stations have been closed, while numerous long-distance and local train services have reportedly been cancelled. Police have also established checkpoints at major intersections and erected multiple layers of barricades around Jantar Mantar to prevent protesters from reaching the site.
More than 300 CCTV cameras equipped with audio-recording facilities have reportedly been installed in sensitive areas. Mobile internet services have also been suspended within a four-kilometre radius of a designated area around the protest site for 24 hours from 10 pm on Friday.
Authorities have taken these measures ahead of the CJP's “Jantar Mantar 2.0” demonstration, which organizers say is intended to demand Kumar's immediate resignation over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process for electoral rolls. The Election Commission and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have denied the allegations.
Communist Party of India MP John Brittas criticized the restrictions, describing them as an excessive blockade of the capital. He said he had been stopped at several locations while trying to move around Delhi.
“Is this called democracy?” Brittas asked, arguing that the restrictions had made it difficult even for a member of Parliament to travel freely through the city.
The extensive security operation has drawn attention to the government's handling of the planned demonstration, while authorities maintain that the measures are necessary to prevent unrest and preserve public order.
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