Protests LIVE | CJP says ‘State at war with citizens’; Rahul invites all to SC march tomorrow

‘Some people playing at hands of foreign powers’: Anurag Thakur

BJP MP Anurag Thakur has called the protest against the SIR and seeking the CEC’s resignation a mere “ploy to halt India’s onward march,” while blaming Opposition leaders of aligning with foreign powers.

Kharge, Rahul seek time to meet CJI on Monday over 'vote chori' issue

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said he and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi have scheduled a meeting with chief justice of India between 4 and 5 pm on Monday to seek his intervention on the issue of "vote chori".

Speaking in Bengaluru, Kharge also said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah have "created chaos" across the country, and the heavy police deployment and detentions amid protests demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Saturday show the government's "fear" of the youth agitation.

"We have sought a time between 4 and 5 pm. We will also apprise him, as we cannot demand. Only with folded hands, we can request him," Kharge said about the meeting with CJI Surya Kant.

"With folded hands we will apprise him of the situation. Chaos is being created in the country by the home minister and the prime minister, and everywhere an undeclared emergency is imposed," Kharge said.

The Congress chief added that he and Rahul Gandhi have both written letters to the CJI.

Over 100 detained on Day 2 of CJP's Delhi protest

Over 100 protesters were detained on Sunday as they raised slogans and marched towards Jantar Mantar, with several seen being dragged into police buses, as the protest called by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) entered its second day amid heavy security deployment across Delhi.

Members of several student organisations, including the Students' Federation of India (SFI), All India Students' Association (AISA) and Krantikari Yuva Sangathan (KYS), along with CJP supporters, were detained while trying to march to Jantar Mantar from different parts of the capital.

CPI(M) Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas was also among those detained, police sources said.

Visuals showed protesters marching through Connaught Place's Inner Circle and near Rajiv Chowk, raising slogans demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The demonstrators could be heard shouting, "Gyanesh Kumar isteefa do, isteefa do".

Security personnel were seen moving towards protesters and attempting to disperse them. Several demonstrators resisted as police personnel held them by their arms and pulled them towards waiting buses. Some protesters were seen being dragged along the road, while others continued raising slogans as they were taken into custody.

Protesters marching from RK Ashram Marg metro station were also detained as police maintained a heavy presence at several locations to prevent demonstrators from reaching Jantar Mantar.

More than 40 protesters were detained near RK Ashram Marg, police sources said, adding that the total number of detainees across the city could reach around 100 by the afternoon.

Govt creating atmosphere of fear in Delhi, alleges Gehlot

Former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot has accused the Centre of trying to suppress opposition protests in Delhi and said the situation in the country was becoming increasingly serious.

Talking to reporters at his Jaipur residence before leaving for Delhi, Gehlot alleged that people arriving in the national capital from different states to participate in protests were being detained at railway stations and mistreated.

"These are our own countrymen, not outsiders. The government itself is creating an atmosphere of anarchy and fear in Delhi," he said.

Gehlot said that the Supreme Court was opening on a Sunday for the first time to hear matters concerning the closure of metro stations and the arrest of lawyers.

He alleged that the government imposed severe restrictions in Delhi, including the suspension of train, bus and metro services, to prevent people from reaching Jantar Mantar.

"Despite all these restrictions, young people and ordinary citizens from different states are reaching Jantar Mantar. If the government believed in democracy, it would have called the opposition for talks," he said.

The Congress leader alleged that Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and his Rajya Sabha counterpart and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge were being treated unfairly.

"The very foundation of democracy is respect for dissent. What is the meaning of a ruling party without an opposition?" Gehlot asked.

AISA president Neha Bora detained, calls police buses ‘new jails’

AISA president Neha Bora and several others were detained after entering Delhi's Connaught Place by breaching police barricades. In a video posted from a police detention bus, Bora questioned the use of such vehicles to hold protesters, asking whether they had become the new jails.

CJP's Ratna Singh says protest continues, defends detention conditions

Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) head of legal affairs Ratna Singh said the outfit’s protest in Delhi was continuing on Sunday, adding that the conditions imposed on detained leaders were standard procedures for preventive detention.

“Protest is ongoing. Today also, there was a protest that is happening,” Singh told reporters as quoted by ANI.

Responding to questions about the conditions imposed by the executive magistrate following the release of CJP leaders, she said they were part of a routine process.

“That's like that template (conditions of the magistrate). That is how, whenever they do preventive detention, that is something which everyone has to sign. So no special conditions have been imposed. That's the normal criteria for how it is done,” she said.

Asked about the allegations she had made regarding her own detention, Singh said the incident was documented.

“It was all on record, so it was something which happened,” she added

BJP's Tarun Chugh says public mood is against CJP protesters

BJP MP Tarun Chugh defended the police action against protesters in Delhi, saying the administration had a responsibility to maintain order and protect residents amid the Cockroach Janata Party's (CJP) planned demonstration.

Speaking to ANI, Chugh said, “The mood of the country is against the protesters.” He added that authorities had to act against those who sought to disrupt the city.

“It is the administration's responsibility to ensure the safety of Delhi's citizens against those who wish to hold the people of Delhi hostage or spread unrest in the city, and it is discharging this duty with full responsibility,” he said.

Chugh also cited slogans allegedly raised by passengers on a flight, claiming they reflected public sentiment against the CJP.

“The sentiment of the nation was clearly visible yesterday on an airplane, where citizens were raising slogans like 'the filth must be cleaned up,' 'shameful,' and 'throw them (CJP) out'—this is the voice of the country's citizens,” he added.

Harvard student group backs Delhi protests, demands detained protesters' release

The Casteless Caucus, a student organisation at Harvard Kennedy School in the US, has expressed solidarity with protests in Delhi demanding electoral reforms and the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

In a statement, the group questioned the Election Commission’s handling of voter roll revision and called for the release of those detained during Saturday’s protests against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.

“We strongly condemn the Indian Government’s dismissal of these concerns, and stand in full solidarity with the protests led by the youth, and their unjust suppression of the constitutional right to peaceful assembly through mass detention of protesters, journalists, student leaders, and political figures,” it said.

The group demanded an independent inquiry into voter roll revision, restoration of the January 2025 electoral rolls and the rollback of a 2023 law governing the appointment of election commissioners.

The Election Commission and BJP have denied allegations of political interference in the SIR exercise. Delhi Police has not disclosed the total number of people detained during Saturday’s protests.

CJP calls Mumbai protest at Shivaji Park amid heavy police deployment

The Maharashtra unit of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) has called a protest at Mumbai's Shivaji Park at 4 pm on Sunday, a day after Delhi Police cracked down on the party's proposed demonstration at Jantar Mantar, reported India Today.

Hundreds of protesters, including Opposition leaders and CJP leaders Abhijeet Dipke, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, were detained in Delhi on Saturday, according to the outfit.

Ahead of Sunday's protest, heavy police deployment was reported around Shivaji Park, with personnel stationed near metro stations and traffic signals in the area.

Student leaders were also reportedly detained from their homes ahead of the demonstration.