CJP defies Delhi curbs, calls Jantar Mantar protest over poll roll revision

CJP leaders vowed to hold their Jantar Mantar protest despite Delhi restrictions and detentions. The standoff has shifted focus from the CEC resignation demand to wider questions over protest rights and election oversight.

In Short

• Security restrictions shut 57 Metro stations and cancelled 38 trains into Delhi
• Supreme Court said Delhi transport cannot be completely halted over protests
• CJP claimed volunteers were detained or placed under house arrest

Leaders of the Cockroach Janta Party on Friday accused the Centre of being afraid of Gen Z and said an "emergency" had been imposed, as security was tightened in Delhi ahead of the party's planned protest at Jantar Mantar on Saturday. The party is seeking Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's resignation over alleged irregularities in the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.

In statements made through the day, CJP leaders questioned the restrictions on movement and the denial of permission for the protest, while insisting that their demonstration would go ahead. Late at night, party leader Abhijeet Dipke said the protest should remain peaceful, but added that it should not stop until Kumar resigns.

In a video message posted on X, Dipke said he would not be cowed down and that the CJP wanted to save democracy in the country. "I am not scared (even) if I am detained. The government can slap NSA or UAPA against me. CJP wants free and fair polls and that cannot happen without (Chief Election Commissioner) Gyanesh Kumar's resignation or scrapping of SIR or neutral procedure to appoint election commissioner," he said, while asking people to gather at Jantar Mantar in large numbers.

Another CJP leader, Ashutosh Ranka, said, "Tomorrow, whatever happens, we will make history." Earlier, after returning from Bengaluru, Dipke told reporters at the Mumbai airport that party volunteers would proceed with the plan to protest at Jantar Mantar. "Shut down the entire country if you are so scared of the youth," he said.

Speaking at an event in Mumbai in the evening, Dipke said the BJP-led Centre was afraid of Gen Z and challenged the government to arrest him. "I feel like laughing (at the government's move). Delhi is not a private property of Narendra Modi and Amit Shah. On one hand, you say protests lead to inconvenience. On the other hand, you have shut down the Metro (stations), railways and blocked roads. Will this not lead to inconvenience?" he asked.

He also questioned why security personnel were being moved from Kashmir and Naxal-hit areas to Delhi and asked, "Why is the government treating the youth like Pakistanis?" Dipke said that if his arrest was the solution to the country's problems, the government should put him behind bars. Targeting Kumar, he said the Chief Election Commissioner must face punishment for what he had done and that the SIR must be scrapped.

CJP leader Saurav Das compared the present situation to the Emergency, claiming that party volunteers were being detained in BJP-ruled states and that some had been put under house arrest. "Let's not be under any illusion. Emergency has been imposed in the country and Delhi has turned into a fortress," Das told reporters. He also said trains had not been shut down even during the Emergency and called it absurd that permission had to be sought from the government to hold a protest after Delhi Police denied the party permission to gather at Jantar Mantar.

Ranka said Jantar Mantar was a designated protest site and added that the demand for the Chief Election Commissioner's resignation had now become a secondary issue, while the denial of permission for the protest had become the main issue.

Amid the security clampdown, 38 Mail and Express trains from other states that were scheduled to arrive at New Delhi and Hazrat Nizamuddin stations between 4 am and 2 pm on October 10 were cancelled, while services at other stations in Delhi were to remain normal. Entry and exit gates at 57 Delhi Metro stations, including Rajiv Chowk, New Delhi, Central Secretariat, Patel Chowk and Kashmere Gate, were to remain closed from 9 pm on Friday until further notice for security reasons.

The Supreme Court on Friday directed the Centre and the authorities to ensure that there was no complete halt to Delhi Metro and train movement into the capital because of the CJP protest, saying everything could not be brought to a stop. A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana asked the Centre to allow the services in a regulated manner. Overall, the CJP has said it will press on with its protest over the Special Intensive Revision exercise, even as it attacks the restrictions imposed in Delhi ahead of the planned demonstration.

- Ends