Delhi Police detain over 5,000 protesters during demonstrations demanding resignation of Chief Election Commissioner

Delhi Police detained more than 5,000 protesters across the national capital on Saturday during demonstrations demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

Police denied permission for a planned demonstration by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) at Jantar Mantar on October 10, imposing prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) across the New Delhi district to ban unauthorised public assemblies. Around 14,000 police personnel, including 4,000 women officers, were deployed across the city.

A senior police officer said around 5,000 protesters were detained, including about 1,500 in the New Delhi area. They were shifted to temporary detention facilities and released before sunset, while women protesters and senior citizens were released from detention centres.

Among those detained were CJP founder members Abhijeet Dipke, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, who were taken into custody directly inside an Air India flight from Mumbai as it landed at the Delhi airport. The CJP members raised slogans and recorded a live video from the aircraft, criticising the action as dictatorship before being escorted onto a waiting bus.

Police also detained YouTuber Dhruv Rathee at his Gurugram residence. Mr. Rathee had reportedly travelled to Delhi for the demonstration and had posted a video on Instagram questioning security arrangements. All India Students’ Association (AISA) national president Neha Bora was detained around 1 p.m. after being denied permission to march toward Jantar Mantar. Following her detention, supporters attempted to block the police bus carrying her before she was taken to a temporary facility in south Delhi and later released.

Police stated that deployment will continue amid expectations of another protest call by CJP, AIYF, AISF and SFI, adding that due legal process would be followed regarding CJP leaders.

Meanwhile, Air India has written to the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security seeking clarity on protocols after police and CISF personnel boarded flight AI 2428 to detain the CJP activists. Airline sources said the flight’s parking bay was changed on CISF instructions before landing, and Air India has sought guidelines regarding police access to aircraft and the lack of prior coordination.