Delhi Police Detain Hundreds in Crackdown on CJP Protest

The Delhi Police implemented a massive security lockdown in New Delhi on October 10, 2026, to block a youth-led protest organized by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP). The demonstration demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over allegations that the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls resulted in the deletion of approximately 130 million voters to favor the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.

Authorities denied permission for the gathering at Jantar Mantar, citing late application and past non-compliance. To prevent the mobilization, the government deployed between 30,000 and 40,000 security personnel, suspended mobile internet within a four-kilometer radius of the site, and closed up to 57 metro stations. Indian Railways also cancelled over 250 trains bound for New Delhi and Hazrat Nizamuddin stations. The Supreme Court of India later intervened, ruling that blanket transport shutdowns were unacceptable and directing authorities to lift total restrictions.

Police conducted mass preventive detentions, including arresting CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke and other leaders directly from an aircraft upon landing at Indira Gandhi International Airport. Other high-profile detainees included YouTuber Dhruv Rathee, former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. Clashes erupted near Akashwani Bhawan, where protesters toppled barricades and injured two officers.

Opposition leaders characterized the crackdown as a dictatorship, while the Bharatiya Janata Party dismissed the event as a flop show by anarchist elements. The Election Commission of India denied all allegations of voter manipulation, maintaining that the revisions were a non-political effort to remove duplicate and fraudulent entries.