With trains to two of Delhi's main railway stations cancelled, 57 metro stations set to shut from 9 pm tonight, and thousands of security personnel being mobilised, restrictions imposed on app-based cabs, Delhi is bracing for the Cockroach Janta Party's (CJP) October 10 protest demanding Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar's resignation. The scale of the preparations has prompted CJP leaders to accuse the government of intimidating protesters, even as Delhi Police says the measures are necessary to maintain law and order.
CJP leaders Abhijeet Dipke, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka have accused the authorities of attempting to prevent youth from joining the protest. Sharing a video showing Delhi Police and other security personnel preparing for the demonstration, CJP co-convener Saurav Das wrote on X, "Like I said, the Government of India is at war with its own citizens. The visual here proves it."
Delhi is preparing for a day of extraordinary security arrangements ahead of the planned CJP protest at New Delhi's Jantar Mantar on Saturday (October 10), with the restrictions extending beyond the protest venue to public transport, hotels, roads and parts of the capital's commercial districts.
Delhi Police has denied permission for the October 10 demonstration, citing prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS). Police Commissioner Nupur Prasad said CJP co-convener Saurav Das submitted the application on Wednesday, whereas the guidelines require organisers to seek permission at least 10 days in advance, according to India Today's Himanshu Mishra.
According to India Today TV's Piyush Mishra and Sushant Mehra, mail and express trains scheduled to arrive at New Delhi and Hazrat Nizamuddin railway stations between 4 am and 2 pm on October 10 are being cancelled at their origin stations. The cancellations apply to trains departing after 2 pm on October 9, with officials citing the prospect of severe congestion and blocked roads around the stations.
Delhi Police has also asked the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) to close entry and exit gates at 57 Metro stations from 9 pm on Friday and consider reducing train frequency on Saturday, according to PTI. The proposed restrictions are intended to prevent large crowds from moving towards sensitive locations in central Delhi.
The security build-up includes 221 companies of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), amounting to around 23,000 personnel made available to Delhi Police between October 8 and 12. Police have also prepared detention facilities, identified road-blocking points and coordinated with transport and accommodation providers as they prepare for the protest, reported The Indian Express newspaper.
The protest, called by the CJP and the All India Students' Association (AISA), aims at demanding Gyanesh Kumar's resignation over the alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The organisers have accused the Election Commission of enabling the deletion of voters' names, allegations that have become a flashpoint in the wider political confrontation over the revision exercise.
According to The Indian Express report, the police are coordinating with cab aggregators like Uber and Ola to curb movement towards central parts of Delhi. The newspaper also noted that OYO, hotels are asked to stop fresh bookings.
GOVERNMENT AT WAR WITH ITS OWN CITIZENS, SAYS CJP
CJP leaders have accused the authorities of attempting to prevent people from joining the protest.
CJP founder and convener Abhijeet Dipke alleged that thousands of young people had been detained across the country ahead of the protest. In a post on X, he said the intimidation would not deter the movement and declared that he would travel to Delhi and march to Jantar Mantar despite the denial of permission.
"We will march to Jantar Mantar come what may," Dipke wrote on Friday.
CJP co-convener Ashutosh Ranka appealed to police personnel not to use force against students and young protesters, invoking the principles of Mahatma Gandhi and BR Ambedkar. He said the "movement believed in non-violence and the Constitution" and urged officers to "consider how their actions would be remembered".
The CJP leadership has also made claims and allegations that the police have set up 10 mass detention centres and they are aimed at intimidation.
The police have maintained that the restrictions are intended to prevent disorder and protect sensitive locations. Its refusal to grant permission means the organisers face the prospect of police intervention if they attempt to assemble or march in violation of the prohibitory orders.
