India deploys tens of thousands of police to block opposition rally in Delhi
Select a version of the text written from a presumed ideological perspective. This is not the original text, but a hypothetical version — how someone with that viewpoint might have phrased it. Tapping the current version again will return to the original or select cleaned version.
Authorities detained leaders of the Cockroach Janta Party and deployed about 43,000 security personnel, while internet services were suspended as protesters attempted to reach Jantar Mantar.
Around 43,000 police and security forces were mobilised across New Delhi on Saturday to prevent a demonstration called by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP). The party’s founder, Abhijeet Dipke, and two other senior leaders were arrested upon arrival at the capital’s airport, and thousands of additional demonstrators were detained as they tried to reach the Jantar Mantar protest site.
Internet access was temporarily shut down in central Delhi and restrictions were placed on metro and railway services. The protest was intended to demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over a voter-list revision that critics say could benefit the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.
"We appeal to everyone to march towards Jantar Mantar! If Delhi Police tries to stop you, wherever they stop you will become your Jantar Mantar," said Ajinkya Shinde, the CJP’s interim protest leader, in a video posted on X.
Opposition figures, including Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal and Congress leaders Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi, condemned the crackdown, describing it as an attempt to suppress dissent. The Supreme Court Bar Association called for the Chief Justice’s intervention after several lawyers were detained while protesting near the Supreme Court.
International press-freedom groups reported that journalists from Indian media outlets were briefly held and had equipment seized, prompting calls for their immediate release. The Election Commission defended the voter-list revision as a routine effort to remove duplicate and ineligible entries.