Barricades broken, Mamata Banerjee and Neha Bora detained; CJP movement now led by Shinde
Due to tight security around Jantar Mantar, the protest location has been shifted to Delhi Haat.
Amid a protest by the Cockroach People's Party (CJP) demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, several political leaders, student activists, lawyers, and digital content creators were detained on Saturday in Delhi and surrounding areas. Some leaders were stopped before disembarking from flights, while reports emerged of detentions from homes and streets. The opposition termed the action an attack on democratic rights, while the police cited security and law-and-order concerns.
Former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was reportedly detained outside her residence in Delhi, as claimed by former MP Saket Gokhale. According to him, Mamata and five others accompanying her were made to sit in a police van by Delhi police and Central Reserve Police Force personnel.
Gokhale stated on social media that they were being taken to an undisclosed location. He described the action as the death of democracy in India. News of Mamata's detention emerged in the afternoon.
Earlier, the Trinamool Congress had stated that Mamata Banerjee was prevented from moving beyond South Avenue. In protest, she sat on a dharna on the road near the South Avenue bus stand. Her protest was against the Chief Election Commissioner. Mamata had earlier indicated that she might join the proposed CJP protest at Jantar Mantar demanding the removal of Gyanesh Kumar.
In the morning, CJP founders Abhijit Deepke, Saurav Das, and Ashutosh Ranka were detained as soon as they arrived in Delhi from Mumbai. According to reports,
the police stopped the three inside the aircraft at Indira Gandhi International Airport. The party alleged that the leaders were preemptively blocked from reaching the protest site. CJP demanded their immediate and unconditional release. Videos of chanting inside the aircraft during the detention also surfaced.
YouTuber Dhruv Rathee was detained from his residence in Gurugram. He had come to India to participate in the protest. CJP's legal team head Ratna Singh also claimed to have been detained. The party alleged that efforts were being made to weaken the movement by stopping its leaders and legal aides. Reports also emerged of digital creators Kavya Karnataka and Mehr being detained.
Several senior leaders of left parties were also targeted. According to CPI(M), former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas, and former minister K. N. Balagopal were taken into custody and brought to Chhatrasal Stadium. The party also reported the detention of other leaders including M. A. Baby, Brinda Karat, M. V. Govindan, K. K. Shailaja, and P. K. Sreemathi. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. K. Stalin criticized the action against Vijayan, calling it reminiscent of an emergency.
Activists from student organizations also faced police action. AISA National President Neha Bora was detained. Protesters surrounded the police bus taking her away. Earlier, AISA had announced on social media that due to tight security around Jantar Mantar, the protest venue had been changed to Delhi Haat. Reports also emerged of Dipankar Bhattacharya, senior lawyer Prashant Bhushan, and Yogendra Yadav being detained near the INA area.
Adarsh M. Saji, National President of the Students Federation of India, reported that over 400 members of the organization were detained after starting a march towards Jantar Mantar. Reports also surfaced of lawyers supporting the protest being stopped. Meanwhile, the Aam Aadmi Party alleged that its leader Manish Sisodia was detained by the police in Chandigarh. The party shared visuals of the incident, stating that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah cannot suppress dissenting voices.
NCP-SCP MP Supriya Sule condemned the detention of CJP leaders. She stated that the leaders were proceeding peacefully and that the police action was wrong and unconstitutional. Sule questioned whether there was an undeclared emergency-like situation in the country. She expressed concern over the youth's right to come out and voice their opinions.
The protest was called against irregularities in the special intensive review of voter lists, i.e., SIR, and changes in Form-6. The Delhi police denied permission, citing late applications, alleged violations of previous protest conditions, and security concerns. CJP has rejected these reasons.