Protests rock Delhi, hundreds detained, demanding CEC resignation

New Delhi, Oct 10 (UNI) Police on Saturday detained hundreds of protesters on Saturday, including Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the youth outfit Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), TMC chief Mamata Banerjee, economist Jeanne Dreze, besides dozens of political and social activists, in a bid to thwart a protest at Jantar Mantar, the iconic medieval era stone-built set of astronomical instruments, demanding the resignation of Gyanesh Kumar, the country's chief election commissioner.

However, protests surfaced elsewhere in the city ranging from railway stations to popular food and handicrafts court, Dilli Haat, forcing police to redeploy forces. Commenting on the situation, BJP MP and spokesperson, Ravi Shankar Prasad said here on Saturday, "Indian democracy has thwarted attempts to incite anarchy … the country will be governed by Parliament, not by the streets." Authorities deployed tens of thousands of police and paramilitary personnel, shut down scores of metro stations, cancelled a large number of trains headed for Delhi as well as barricaded the central business district, to prevent the demonstration which has been declared illegal. Authorities have also suspended mobile internet services in parts of the capital. The protesters, mobilised by the self-styled Cockroach youth movement, and supported by major opposition political parties are demanding that Gyanesh Kumar step down over a revision of electoral rolls that critics allege has effectively disenfranchise large numbers of potential voters. Police were chasing groups of young demonstrators through the Connaught Place area before detaining them and taking them away in waiting busses and police vans. Dhruv Rathee, a popular YouTube commentator who has supported the protests, was among those detained outside the capital, a police source said. Dipke was detained at Delhi airport after arriving from Mumbai, along with wo other CJP leaders, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, the movement said in a statement. Left student leader Neha Bora who tried to lead a crowd of students from Delhi's popular Dili Haat, was also detained. Bora later sent a video message to other students to join a crowd near Safdarjung hospital which had gheraoed the bus carrying her and other detainees, to "start the protest from here." Congress leader Rahul Gandhi sent a message of support to protesters, said in a social media post on X, "Youth of India, I am proud of you… We are standing with you." Organisers of Saturday's rally are believed seeking to build on protests that began last week after media outlets reported that officials working under Kumar had questioned and disagreed with him over the electoral roll revision. Kumar has not commented on the latest allegations, while the Election Commission and the ruling BJP have denied wrongdoing. The dispute also comes ahead of a series of crucial state elections beginning in early 2027, including in Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous state and a BJP stronghold. The outcome of those contests will be an important test of the party's political standing. Police warned that demonstrators would face legal action if they defied the restrictions. In all about 43,000 police and security personnel were deployed across the capital, according to figures cited in connection with the security operation, with successive rows of yellow metal barricades blocking roads leading to Jantar Mantar. Mamata Banerjee and a motely group of her MPs and supporters had squatted outside her South Avenue residence protesting and holding placards, before being detained for violating the order against protests in central Delhi. Banerjee, who was ousted at elections held earlier this year from the chief ministership of West Bengal, told reporters as she was taken away in a police vehicle "Desh mein kya chal raha hai, sabko pata hai" (Everyone knows what's happening in this country." The BJP escalated its attack on the opposition on Saturday, accusing leaders including Rahul Gandhi and Arvind Kejriwal of seeking to inflame tensions in the country. Nitin Nabin, the BJP president, said the government would respond firmly to what he described as attempts to provoke unrest. He accused opposition leaders of acting out of desperation after repeated electoral defeats and warned that the party and its supporters would resist their efforts. "The government of India will deal strictly with attempts you are making to incite tension," he said. The Congress accused the ruling party and the government of turning the capital into a "fortress", with party general secretary Jairam Ramesh writing on X, "The national capital has been turned into a fortress, with armed security personnel deployed everywhere." UNI TEAM JRC AAB