New Delhi: Around 1,000 people were detained in Delhi ahead of a Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)-led protest on Saturday demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, as police continued to prevent demonstrators from reaching Jantar Mantar.
Delhi Police continued to take demonstrators into preventive custody from Friday night after informing them that permission had not been granted for the gathering.
Police had denied permission for the proposed gathering, citing concerns over law and order.
CJP leaders detained inside flight at Delhi airport
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke and party leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were detained aboard a flight shortly after it landed at Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi.
Dipke, who had travelled from Mumbai to participate in the demonstration, shared a video on Instagram showing police personnel entering the aircraft. He alleged that officers attempted to detain him and his associates before they could leave the plane.
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In the video, Dipke accused the authorities of preventing a peaceful protest and compared the police action to measures taken during the Emergency.
The video also showed the CJP leaders challenging the police to detain them. The incident was reported by The Indian Express and NDTV.
CJP legal head alleges detention outside home
The CJP also shared a video of its legal head, Ratna Singh, who alleged that police personnel had arrived at her residence in the morning and attempted to detain her while she was inside her car.
Singh claimed that officers did not show her any official documentation authorising the action. She described the situation as illegal detention, alleging that the personnel prevented her from leaving the area.
Her claims could not be independently established from the video alone.
The CJP also said content creator Dhruv Rathee had been detained. Media reports said Rathee was taken into custody at his Gurugram residence before he could join the protest.
Opposition leaders, including Kejriwal and Mamata, detained
Several opposition leaders were also detained amid the security operation.
They included Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal and Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee. CPI(M) leaders from Keralam, including Pinarayi Vijayan, party general secretary MA Baby, MV Govindan, John Brittas and PK Sreemathi, were also among those detained, according to media reports and party statements.
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The detentions came as opposition parties and activists sought to join the CJP protest against the Election Commission of India. The demonstration was linked to allegations of irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The Election Commission and the BJP have rejected allegations of politically motivated voter deletions. The claims remain contested.
Delhi under heightened security
Security personnel remained deployed at several locations across the capital as police attempted to prevent demonstrators from gathering near Jantar Mantar.
The New Delhi district was divided into operational zones, with designated detention facilities established to handle those taken into custody, police said. Stadiums were also being used as temporary detention centres.
Police detained demonstrators at several locations and transported some to Chhatrasal Stadium, according to NDTV.
The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation closed entry and exit gates at 45 stations*, with the restrictions scheduled to remain in place until 6 pm on Saturday. Interchange facilities continued at the affected stations, except at New Delhi Metro station.
The security measures followed the denial of permission for the CJP protest and included road barricades, traffic restrictions and a suspension of mobile internet services in a specified area of central Delhi.
(With inputs from agencies)
