New Delhi, October 10, 2026 — Delhi Police detained people attempting to reach Jantar Mantar and restricted media movement in the early hours of Saturday, as authorities enforced a ban on a planned protest by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and allied student groups. A ground report by Molitics journalist Neeraj Jha captured barricades, heavy deployment, and individuals being stopped before the demonstration could begin.
Protest plans called for October 10. The aim was to demand CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation. Organizers described irregularities in the electoral rolls’ Special Intensive Revision as vote chori. CJP and groups including AISA, SFI, and AISF sought an independent inquiry, a halt to the SIR process, and electoral reforms. Leaders had said they would proceed without formal permission and that any spot where they were halted would become the protest site.
Police had denied permission in advance. Joint Commissioner of Police (New Delhi range) Nupur Prasad cited the late application and prior violations. Prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita were in force. On the morning of October 10, roads leading to Jantar Mantar were sealed, metro station gates were closed at multiple locations, and a large force was deployed with instructions to detain people trying to assemble. Journalists, including those covering the ground situation, reported being stopped or having limited access to the area.
Available reports indicate that police acted against even small numbers of people heading toward the site rather than waiting for a large gathering to form. Media personnel faced restrictions on movement and entry near the protest location, according to the Molitics ground report and related coverage. Exact figures on detentions were not immediately released by police, and initial accounts have not provided detailed, independently verified descriptions of physical manhandling of journalists beyond access barriers and stops.
Authorities presented the measures as necessary to enforce the refusal of permission and prevent unauthorized assembly. Organizers and some observers described the preemptive detentions of individuals and the constraints placed on media as excessive and an attempt to block both protest and independent reporting at a designated site. Similar large-scale restrictions and detentions were reported during related gatherings in late September and early October.
The events follow CJP’s July 2026 sit-in at Jantar Mantar, which was linked to the resignation of then Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The current focus remains on the Election Commission’s voter-roll exercise. The combination of individual detentions and media restrictions has again raised questions about the scope of public-order powers and the practical ability of citizens and journalists to assemble or report freely in the capital.