Delhi CJP Protest: Over 700 Detained, Markets and Transport Services Affected
New Delhi, 10th October 2026: More than 700 people were detained in Delhi on 10th October amid heightened security for the Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP) proposed protest at Jantar Mantar, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged electoral irregularities. Police personnel were reportedly injured in stone-pelting incidents in Connaught Place and near Akashvani Bhawan, while transport restrictions disrupted movement across the capital.
Delhi Police had denied permission for the demonstration and imposed restrictions on public gatherings under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS). Security personnel were deployed at Jantar Mantar, Parliament Street, Connaught Place and major entry points into the city.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, along with party leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, was detained aboard their flight after it landed at Indira Gandhi International Airport on Saturday morning. The party subsequently announced that organisational in-charge Ajinkya Shinde would lead the protest and urged supporters to march towards Jantar Mantar.
YouTuber Dhruv Rathee was also reportedly detained from his Gurugram residence. AISA president Neha Bora was detained while marching from INA towards Jantar Mantar. Economist Jean Drèze, Yogendra Yadav and lawyer Prashant Bhushan were also reported at protest-related gatherings.
Former Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee was reported detained while protesting against the Chief Election Commissioner. Meanwhile, Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal criticised the police action. Opposition leaders have demanded Kumar’s resignation and questioned the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad defended the revision process, stating that electoral rolls must exclude duplicate and ineligible entries.
The security measures affected public transport, with the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation revising restrictions from an initial 57 stations to 45. Northern Railway also announced cancellations affecting local, mail and express services. Mobile internet services were suspended for 24 hours within a four-kilometre radius of the Janpath–Kartavya Path crossing.
Traffic restrictions and barricades were reported at the Delhi-Gurugram border, Rajokri, Dhaula Kuan and several central Delhi roads. The Badarpur flyover was also closed to traffic.
Markets including Connaught Place, Janpath, Palika Bazaar and Sadar Bazaar reported reduced business. The live updates cited an estimated trade disruption of ₹2,000 crore in Delhi. Several schools shifted classes online, some college examinations were postponed, and two courts were scheduled to operate virtually on Saturday as security restrictions continued across the capital.
