Security personnel run towards demonstrators to disperse them during a protest organised by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar over alleged electoral roll irregularities, at Connaught Place, in New Delhi, Saturday, October 10. PTI
Delhi protests LIVE | Over 7,000 detained; CJP: Will march to Jantar Mantar again on Sunday
SC to hear special petition tomorrow on Delhi curbs; police go on detention spree to stop anti-CEC protests
Delhi turned into a veritable battle zone—as well as a prison zone for the Opposition—on Saturday (October 10), when several INDIA bloc leaders, including four former chief ministers—TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, CPM veteran Pinarayi Vijayan, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal, and Manik Sarkar, were detained for trying to join the Cockroach Janta Party's (CJP) anti-CEC protest call at Jantar Mantar.
Apart from Mamata and Pinarayi, Delhi Police have detained over 7,000 people including CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, YouTuber Dhruv Rathee, CJP's Ratna Singh, Sourav Das and many journalists and content creators.
Senior Left leaders like MP John Brittas and MA Baby, along with Pinarayi, were taken to Chhatrasal Stadium briefly before reportedly being driven around in a police jeep, Brittas alleged. They were later taken to Mandir Marg Police Station. Veteran Left leader Brinda Karat, CPI(ML) Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, activist Yogendra Yadav and lawyer Prashant Bhushan were also among those detained.
Also read: Meet the faces of India’s Gen Z protest movement
Kejriwal was detained outside his Lodhi Estate residence while marching towards Jantar Mantar with AAP leaders and workers. The party leaders detained with him included Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh, Delhi unit chief Saurabh Bharadwaj, MLA Kuldeep Kumar and national media in-charge Anurag Dhanda. Senior AAP leader Gopal Rai was also detained while protesting at the party office.
Dipke detained from aircraft
Mamata and other TMC MPs were detained from South Avenue, while many journalists trying to cover the protests were allegedly detained along with the Opposition leaders. Tushar Gandhi, Mahatma Gandhi's great-grandson, was reportedly detained in Mumbai.
Also read: ‘Undeclared Emergency’: Opposition leaders slam Modi govt over detentions in Delhi
Dipke's detention was dramatic. A Delhi Police team boarded the aircraft carrying him after it landed in Delhi and detained him. Dipke went live on Instagram as the officers entered the plane. The video shows the police team boarding the flight, and Dipke, along with fellow CJP members Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, being detained on board.
A defiant Dipke said CJP's Ajinkya Shinde would lead the Jantar Mantar protest, while AISA chief Neha Bora launched a protest in Dilli Haat along with other activists. Neha was alsod detained soon afterwards. After days of intense protests, Congress was missing in action as Rahul Gandhi left for Chennai for his prescheduled Chhatron ki Goonj event.
Jantar Mantar wears a deserted look
Jantar Mantar, a designated protest site, wore a deserted look throughout the day, with the deployment of over 30,000 security personnel and waves of barricades in Lutyens' Delhi to keep the protesters away from the area.
Opposition parties likened the situation to one worse than the Emergency, with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi urging the youth to "keep protesting" and asserting that "we are going to ensure that this regime and the people who have attacked the Constitution are defeated".
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge lashed out at the Modi government over the detentions by Delhi police, saying it has turned the "mother of democracy" into a "muzzled democracy". The Congress chief alleged that the cowardice of the BJP-RSS is on full display today.
The Congress, which has been holding protests demanding the resignation of the CEC over alleged vote theft, however, maintained its distance from the CJP protest.
CJP to march to Jantar Mantar again tomorrow
On Saturday evening, CJP said it was not "backing down" and announced that it will march to Jantar Mantar again tomorrow (October 11).
"The Modi government fears that if we unite again, their throne will be at stake. But we’re not backing down. We will march to Jantar Mantar again tomorrow and stay there until all our demands are met," CJP said.
Read live updates here.
Live Updates
- 10 Oct 2026 12:47 PM IST
Pinarayi Vijayan, John Brittas taken to Chhatrasal Stadium
Several senior Communist Party of India (Marxist) leaders, including former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas, were detained and taken to Chhatrasal Stadium in Delhi on Saturday amid a crackdown on protests demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
CPI(M) Polit Bureau in statement condemned what it called the “widespread repression” by Delhi Police against peaceful protesters demanding the rollback of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and other electoral reforms.
“The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) strongly condemns the widespread repression unleashed by the Delhi Police on peaceful protesters in different parts of New Delhi today,” the statement said.
The party said its leaders had been arrested while protesting at Jantar Mantar. Those detained included CPI(M) general secretary M.A. Baby, veteran leader Brinda Karat, Polit Bureau members M.V. Govindan and Vijayaraghavan, and several Central Committee members, including K.K. Shailaja, P.K. Sreemathi and Kerala ministers K.N. Balagopal and P. Rajeev.
The release said protesters had taken to the streets despite what it described as a “virtual curfew”, citing internet shutdowns, closed Metro stations and transport restrictions.
Another group of Polit Bureau and Central Committee members, including B.V. Raghavulu, Arun Kumar, Vijoo Krishnan, Mariam Dhawale and A.R. Sindhu, were arrested near Minto Road while attempting to march from the Harkishan Singh Surjeet Bhawan on Indrajit Gupta Road. Veteran leader Manik Sarkar was also among those arrested.
The CPI(M) said the arrests would not deter the protests, accusing the BJP government of showing “extreme cowardice” and an inability to conduct democratic governance.
- 10 Oct 2026 12:36 PM IST
Heavy police deployment outside Bangla Sahib as protesters take shelter
Massive police deployment outside Gurudwara Bangla Saheb, near CP, as protestors take shelter there to evade arrest.
- 10 Oct 2026 12:34 PM IST
KC Venugopal accuses Modi government of waging war on people
Congress MP KC Venugopal on Saturday accused the Narendra Modi government of suppressing democratic rights amid sweeping security restrictions and mass detentions ahead of the Cockroach Janata Party’s (CJP) planned protest in Delhi.
In a post on X, Venugopal cited train cancellations, Metro station closures, detentions and the deployment of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) as evidence of what he described as a crackdown on peaceful demonstrators.
“All trains shut, 57 metro stations shut, mass detentions, Delhi in lockdown, CRPF deployment,” he wrote.
Venugopal accused the Centre of turning against its own citizens, alleging that authorities were suppressing a non-violent demonstration.
“The Modi-Shah regime has officially waged war against its own people,” the Congress leader said.
Describing the protest as a Satyagraha against what he called “illegitimate dictators”, Venugopal condemned the police action as “the most brutal and oppressive fashion”.
He ended his post with the words, “RIP Indian democracy (1947 - 2026)”.
- 10 Oct 2026 12:27 PM IST
Manish Sisodia, Punjab AAP leaders detained in Chandigarh protest
AAP leader Manish Sisodia and several Punjab party workers and leaders were detained by police during a protest outside the Chief Electoral Officer’s office in Chandigarh on Saturday.
The protest was held over the controversy surrounding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and alleged irregularities linked to electoral rolls.
- 10 Oct 2026 12:24 PM IST
Kejriwal detained amid CJP protest in Delhi
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal has been detained amid the Cockroach Janata Party’s (CJP) protest in Delhi on Saturday, as police stepped up security across the national capital ahead of the planned demonstration at Jantar Mantar.
The protest was called to demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in electoral rolls linked to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.
Delhi Police detained several protesters and political leaders ahead of the demonstration, while security personnel were deployed across key locations. The restrictions also affected movement around the protest site, with barricades erected and access to several areas limited.
The AAP had earlier criticised the security measures, accusing the authorities of creating an atmosphere of fear around the protest. Kejriwal had also urged young people to join the demonstration over allegations of “vote theft”.
- 10 Oct 2026 12:16 PM IST
Delhi Police detains 400 SFI members, lawyers ahead of CJP protest
Delhi Police detained more than 400 members of the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) and several lawyers on Saturday as they attempted to march towards Jantar Mantar for the planned Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) protest.
SFI national president Adarsh M Saji told PTI that members were detained after beginning their march around 10 am. The detentions took place around 11 am.
“We are here to save democracy. This is a fight between autocracy and democracy. This fight is not over. Gyanesh Kumar will be thrown out of his seat,” a protester said from inside a police bus.
The CJP and the All India Students’ Association had called for a demonstration over alleged voter-list irregularities linked to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) and Form 6, used for voter registration. They demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Lawyers marching from near the Supreme Court were also stopped at barricades on Bhagwan Das Road. One lawyer said they had been allowed to march about 100 yards before police intervened.
Delhi Police denied permission for the protest, citing security concerns and procedural requirements. Around 25,000 police and paramilitary personnel were deployed across the capital, with restrictions at 45 Metro stations.
- 10 Oct 2026 12:10 PM IST
CJP vows nationwide protest despite detention of leaders
The Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) has vowed to press ahead with its protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar across the country, despite the detention of founder Abhijeet Dipke and other party leaders in Delhi.
In a statement, the party said the demonstrations would continue with or without its leadership, making clear that the detentions would not disrupt its plans, reported India Today.
The CJP and the All India Students’ Association (AISA) had called on supporters to assemble at Jantar Mantar in Delhi to protest alleged irregularities in the nationwide Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
- 10 Oct 2026 11:57 AM IST
Delhi traffic police says traffic flow smooth amid CJP protest
Dinesh Kumar Gupta, Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic), Zone-II, said traffic was moving smoothly in Delhi despite security measures ahead of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) protest.
“There is no trouble for the general public or commuters; our priority is to ensure that normal traffic flow continues,” Gupta said.
He added that police were detaining protesters and introducing diversions wherever roads were blocked. The traffic advisory, he said, was being updated regularly.
“We have traffic personnel deployed at the borders as well, and traffic is moving smoothly there,” Gupta said, reiterating that protesters found at these locations would be detained.
Gupta urged commuters to check the latest traffic advisory and plan their journeys accordingly.
- 10 Oct 2026 11:54 AM IST
AAP alleges heavy police security around Kejriwal’s residence
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Saturday accused Delhi Police of placing party chief Arvind Kejriwal’s residence under heavy security ahead of the Cockroach Janata Party’s (CJP) planned protest at Jantar Mantar.
Kejriwal had said a day earlier that he and his family would attend the demonstration. He also urged young people to join the call for Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation over alleged “vote theft”.
AAP’s Delhi unit president Bharadwaj said protesters intended to raise their concerns peacefully but faced a heavy police presence.
“You cannot make Gen-Z keep quiet by force-- these are our youth; talk to them, engage with them. BJP government wants to show that we are a scared country. We are not; we believe in non-violence and the Constitution of India,” Bharadwaj said in a video message.
Thousands of security personnel were deployed across central Delhi ahead of the gathering, with police seeking to prevent or detain protesters attempting to reach Jantar Mantar.
The Delhi Metro closed entry and exit at 45 stations from 9 pm Friday until 6 pm Saturday.
- 10 Oct 2026 11:49 AM IST
Kejriwal calls Modi government ‘absolute dictatorship’ over CJP arrests
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal criticised the Centre over the detention of Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) leaders, including founder Abhijeet Dipke, describing the situation as “worse than the Emergency”.
In a post on X, Kejriwal accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government of acting out of fear by detaining the leaders shortly after their flight landed in Delhi.
“It’s official.. we are living under an absolute dictatorship ruled by Modi. Arresting cockroaches straight off their flight shows an unprecedented level of fear,” he wrote.
Kejriwal further alleged that the BJP had won the election through voter fraud and accused the government of suppressing democracy to protect itself.
“PM Modi clearly knows he only won the election through vote chori and now he is hell-bent on protecting his fraud by completely crushing democracy. Gyanesh must go, but so must Modi,” he added.
The CJP had called the protest at Jantar Mantar to demand Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation over alleged irregularities in electoral rolls linked to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.
