Delhi Police Detain CJP Leaders, YouTuber Dhruv Rathee Ahead of Jantar Mantar Demonstration

Delhi Police detained several senior leaders of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), including Abhijeet Dipke, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, immediately after their flight landed in the national capital on Saturday, ahead of the party's planned protest at Jantar Mantar.
 

The demonstration has been organised to raise concerns regarding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The party had called for a large gathering in Delhi despite extensive security arrangements and movement restrictions imposed across the city.
 

Earlier in the day, YouTuber Dhruv Rathee was detained from his residence in Gurugram in a police operation carried out with assistance from local authorities. According to reports, nearly 200 protesters attempting to reach the protest venue were also detained.
 

Security measures were significantly intensified across Delhi ahead of the event. Sources indicated that police deployed drones to monitor the movement of people attempting to gather at the protest site. Authorities also carried out preventive action across the city, with police sources stating that more than 600 individuals with criminal records had been detained across Delhi's 15 districts as part of precautionary measures before the protest.
 

The CJP strongly criticised the detention of its leaders. In a statement, the party described the action as an attempt to prevent the leadership from reaching the protest venue and demanded the immediate release of those detained. CJP national secretary Aafreen Nawaz termed the move undemocratic and asserted that the protest would continue despite the police action.
 

Meanwhile, the party also claimed that its legal affairs head, Ratna Singh, had been detained while travelling to join lawyers participating in demonstrations related to the issue.
 

Security deployment around Jantar Mantar remained extensive throughout the morning. Delhi Police's Pink Force was also deployed as part of the security arrangements. The special unit was positioned following recent incidents involving alleged misconduct during protest-related deployments.
 

Authorities expect around 7,000 protesters to participate in the demonstration. Senior police officers reportedly instructed personnel to remain restrained and professional while dealing with demonstrators. Officials also reiterated that unauthorised gatherings would not be permitted and that people arriving to participate in prohibited protests could be detained and shifted to designated centres.
 

The protest has also resulted in widespread traffic restrictions. Stringent diversions came into effect across the national capital from 6 am, while the New Delhi Traders Association (NDTA) announced the closure of the Connaught Place market on Saturday, citing public safety concerns and the possibility of damage to property.
 

Political reactions intensified as the protest unfolded. BJP national president Nitin Nabin accused the Congress-led INDIA bloc and the CJP of attempting to destabilise the country through political mobilisation. On the other hand, the Congress alleged that the government's strong security response reflected nervousness over a peaceful youth-led demonstration. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) also criticised the restrictions, alleging that the Centre had turned Delhi into a heavily secured zone to suppress dissent.
 

Separately, a petition was filed in the Supreme Court seeking contempt proceedings against authorities over the alleged violation of the apex court's direction regarding public transport movement on October 10. The plea claimed that metro station closures and related restrictions continued despite the court's observations and had caused inconvenience to the public.
 

Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, who had emerged as a prominent face of the CJP's July protest at Jantar Mantar, clarified that he would not participate in Saturday's demonstration and explained his reasons in a separate statement.
 

As of late morning, tensions remained high in the capital, with security personnel deployed at key locations and police continuing preventive action ahead of the scheduled protest.