Delhi witnessed a sweeping security operation on 10 October as police moved to prevent a protest organised by the Cockroach Janta Party at Jantar Mantar. The demonstration called for Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, which Opposition parties have questioned over alleged voter deletions.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke and party leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were detained inside their flight shortly after it landed at Delhi airport. As the day progressed, several Opposition leaders, activists, journalists and citizens were also detained at different locations. With metro station gates shut, train services disrupted and mobile internet suspended in parts of central Delhi, reaching the proposed protest site became increasingly difficult.
What happened at Jantar Mantar?
Jantar Mantar, the designated protest site in central Delhi, was sealed off by security personnel before the demonstration could begin. Police had denied permission for the protest, citing law and order concerns.
More than 20,000 police and Central Armed Police Forces personnel were deployed across the capital. Security checks were intensified at Delhi’s borders and on major roads, while barricades and checkpoints restricted movement around central Delhi.
Despite the restrictions, small groups of protesters gathered at locations including Connaught Place and the Mahatma Gandhi memorial. Police detained people attempting to reach the protest site, with some taken to Chhatrasal Stadium, which had been designated as a temporary detention centre.
By the evening, reports citing Delhi Police put the number of people detained across the city at more than 3,000.
The restrictions also affected residents and commuters who were not participating in the demonstration. Several roads faced traffic congestion, while railway passengers encountered cancellations and disruption to mobile internet services affected digital payments and access to information.
ALSO WATCH: What happened at Jantar Mantar on 10 October?
CJP leaders detained inside flight after landing
One of the day's most striking incidents unfolded at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, along with party leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, was detained inside the aircraft shortly after it landed from Mumbai. In footage shared by the party, Dipke questioned why officers had entered the plane instead of waiting for passengers to disembark.
“I have come here to be arrested, arrest me,” he told the officers.
A police officer responded that it was not an arrest and asked him to cooperate.
CJP condemned the detentions, describing them as an attempt to prevent its leadership from reaching the protest. The party said the demonstration would continue even without its leaders.
The detentions extended beyond the three CJP leaders. YouTuber Dhruv Rathee and CJP legal team head Ratna Singh were also reported detained. Journalists covering the protests, including those from Navbharat Times, Scroll and Newslaundry, were picked up at different locations and later released, The Hindu reported.
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Opposition leaders and activists detained
Several prominent Opposition leaders were detained as they attempted to join or support the demonstration.
They included former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and former Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar.
Kejriwal was detained outside his residence in Lodhi Estate while on his way to Jantar Mantar. Banerjee and other Trinamool Congress leaders were detained after staging a sit-in at a bus stop on South Avenue.
Activists and political figures, including AISA president Neha Bora, CPI(ML) Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan, were also detained during demonstrations near INA Market.
In Mumbai, actor Imran Khan was among those detained during a solidarity protest at August Kranti Maidan. Other demonstrators, including members of activist Tushar Gandhi's organisation, were also detained in the city.
Opposition leaders criticised the police action, with some describing the restrictions as an attack on democratic rights. The BJP, meanwhile, dismissed the proposed CJP demonstration as a “flop show” and accused Opposition parties of attempting to create unrest.
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Metro closures, train cancellations and internet restrictions
The security operation had a wider impact on Delhi's transport network.
The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation announced that entry and exit gates at 45 metro stations would remain closed until 10 pm on 10 October. The affected stations included major interchanges such as Rajiv Chowk, New Delhi and Central Secretariat.
Railway services were also disrupted. Reports said more than 250 trains scheduled to arrive at New Delhi and Hazrat Nizamuddin stations between 4 am and 2 pm were cancelled amid anticipated congestion and security arrangements.
Mobile internet services were suspended within a four-kilometre radius of the Janpath-Kartavya Path crossing for 24 hours, according to reports.
The measures made it harder for protesters to reach central Delhi and disrupted the journeys of commuters and railway passengers. Delhi Police had cited law and order concerns in denying permission for the gathering.
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What happens next?
CJP said its protest would continue despite the detention of its senior leaders. With Ajinkya Shinde taking the lead, the party urged supporters to keep moving towards Jantar Mantar and said that wherever police stopped them could become their protest site.
Meanwhile, Opposition parties continued to demand the release of detained leaders and questioned the scale of the restrictions. The BJP maintained that the protest had failed and accused its political opponents of trying to create disorder.
The dispute over SIR and voter-list deletions remains at the centre of the political confrontation, with the Opposition demanding accountability from the Election Commission and the poll body maintaining that eligible voters can seek re-enrolment if their names have been wrongly removed.
ALSO WATCH: Abhijeet, Dhruv Rathee and Prakash Raj take their protest against CEC Gyanesh Kumar to Bengaluru.
TL;DR | News At a Glance
What happened: Thousands were detained across Delhi ahead of the CJP's planned protest.
Who was involved: CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, Opposition leaders, activists, journalists and other protesters.
When: 10 October, 2026.
Where: Jantar Mantar and several locations across Delhi, with solidarity protests in Mumbai.
What happens next: CJP says its protest will continue despite the detention of its leaders.
Why it matters: The demonstration challenged the SIR of electoral rolls and demanded CEC Gyanesh Kumar's resignation.
