Delhi Police Detain More Than 3,000 as CJP Protest Against CEC Gyanesh Kumar Is Blocked

Delhi Police detained more than 3,000 people on Saturday, October 10, 2026, and barred access to Jantar Mantar as groups led by the Cockroach Janata Party and opposition parties attempted to stage a protest demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Security forces imposed a large-scale lockdown around the site, detaining protesters from locations including near Regal Cinema, Minto Bridge and Akashwani Bhawan.

Among those detained were CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, who was taken from a plane at Delhi airport; YouTuber Dhruv Rathee, detained from his Gurugram residence; AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal; Trinamool Congress leaders including Mamata Banerjee; and several Left and other opposition figures. Reports indicated that some protesters wore cockroach helmets and that others sought shelter in a gurudwara near the protest area. At least two police personnel were injured during the detentions, according to local accounts.

The protest, sometimes called Jantar Mantar 2.0, followed earlier demonstrations and a campaign by the INDIA bloc and allied groups against the Election Commission’s handling of electoral rolls and the Special Intensive Revision process. Rahul Gandhi and other opposition leaders have accused the Commission of bias and called for Kumar’s exit. BJP leaders described the protests as shadow-boxing for AAP and said the country is governed by Parliament, not by street actions. A group of 124 former bureaucrats issued a statement defending the Election Commission and the SIR exercise against claims of vote-rigging.

The Supreme Court had earlier asked the Centre and Delhi Police to lift blanket curbs on metro and train services related to the protest period. Train cancellations had affected services arriving at and departing from New Delhi stations. On Saturday the police action prevented the planned march from reaching Jantar Mantar. CJP organizers said the protest would continue despite the lockdown and called for the release of detained leaders by Sunday. Sonam Wangchuk indicated he would begin a fast and march if the detainees were not freed.

Detentions also occurred outside Delhi. Mumbai police detained Tushar Gandhi ahead of a related protest in the city. AAP held a separate demonstration in Chandigarh. The scale of the Saturday operation in the capital—more than 3,000 detentions in a single day—drew criticism from opposition parties, who compared the measures to the Emergency period. Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta questioned what offense the people of Delhi had committed. Police maintained that the restrictions were necessary to maintain order.

The confrontation centers on the Election Commission’s leadership and the credibility of ongoing electoral exercises. Kumar has not resigned, and the Commission has rejected allegations of partiality. The detentions have temporarily halted the physical protest at Jantar Mantar, but organizers and opposition parties have signaled that the campaign will continue through other means. Court challenges to the detention orders and to the restrictions on movement are expected in the coming days.