Delhi Police Detain Protesters at Jantar Mantar as CEC Resignation Demand Builds

Delhi Police on Saturday began detaining protesters from and around Jantar Mantar, where supporters of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) had been called to assemble for a demonstration demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the rollback of the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.

The party had asked its supporters to reach Jantar Mantar at 10 a.m. on Saturday, October 10, 2026, even though the Delhi Police had denied permission for the protest. Party leader Dipke was reported to be on his way to the capital as crowds began to gather at the designated site.

Police officers said they expect about 7,000 protesters to arrive in Delhi. Senior officers have directed personnel to exercise maximum restraint and to handle the situation professionally, an official said. On the possibility of shifting protesters to Ramlila Maidan, the police said no application seeking permission to hold a demonstration there had been received so far.

At least 100 people with criminal records, suspected of joining the protest, were detained in overnight operations, police sources said.

Authorities have taken several measures ahead of the demonstration. Internet services have been curtailed in parts of Delhi, markets and Metro stations have been shut, and dozens of trains bound for the capital have been cancelled. The Union Ministry of Home Affairs has directed all States and Union Territories to coordinate with the Delhi Police and take preventive measures to stop the movement of protesters towards Delhi.

Notices have also been sent to students and CJP supporters ahead of the protest. The police have not said how long the restrictions on movement and internet access will remain in force.

The demand at the centre of the protest concerns the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, an exercise carried out by the Election Commission of India. The CJP has called for the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner and for the revision to be withdrawn. The Election Commission has not issued a fresh statement on the protest.

The Chief Election Commissioner heads the Election Commission of India, a constitutional body that conducts elections to Parliament, the State legislatures and the offices of the President and Vice-President. Under the Constitution, a Chief Election Commissioner can be removed only in the manner and on the grounds applicable to a judge of the Supreme Court.

The action at Jantar Mantar comes in the backdrop of a Supreme Court observation backing the right to protest, in which the court described a blanket transit ban in Delhi as “over-reaching”. The right to assemble peacefully is a fundamental right under the Constitution, though it is subject to reasonable restrictions on grounds such as public order.

The Delhi Police have not released an official figure for the number of people detained so far. Protesters who gathered at the site were moved away by personnel stationed around Jantar Mantar, and the area remained under heavy deployment through the morning.

Further developments are awaited, with both the police and the organisers yet to issue detailed statements on the day’s events.