Inside Bangla Sahib, A Game Of Cat And Mouse As Delhi Police Crackdown On CJP Protest Against CEC

As barricades went up across central Delhi and police and paramilitary personnel fanned out through its streets, a different kind of standoff was unfolding outside Bangla Sahib Gurudwara in Connaught Place. A few metres from the main road, protesters waited for the security personnel to move away before stepping out with placards, raising slogans against the Election Commission of India (ECI) and retreating inside as the security forces returned.

The gurdwara had become a temporary refuge for protesters trying to evade detention ahead of a planned demonstration at Jantar Mantar on Saturday. According to gurdwara representatives, around 250 protesters had taken shelter inside the premises since 5 am. Police personnel, meanwhile, remained stationed outside, waiting for those inside to emerge.

The confrontation was part of a Delhi Police crackdown across the Capital to prevent the protest organised by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and its supporters, who are demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the revision of electoral rolls.

The security forces were tracking down demonstrators across the city and detaining those attempting to reach the protest site. For those gathered at Bangla Sahib, it became a test of patience: wait for the security personnel to leave, step out to raise slogans, and return before they could be detained.

Protesters Find Shelter Inside Gurdwara

Amel, a 32-year-old woman from Bengaluru, had arrived in Delhi two days earlier, anticipating that the protest could face police restrictions. Holding a placard that read “Ghosted by ECI”, she said the police had already begun checking hostels where protesters were staying.

“The hostels where we are staying, the police have come and checked in on us. They have already been scouting every hostel in the area. Police have been going there and asking whether protesters are going to come. Including my hostel, there were around five or six,” she told Outlook.

“It was very scary to see the police come in there. Hence, we are protesting outside the gurdwara.”

The presence of heavy security personnel and the threat of detention had left protesters reluctant to venture out. Whenever the security personnel moved away, however, many emerged from the premises with placards and raised slogans such as “Inquilab Zindabad” and “Gyanesh Kumar istifa do”, demanding the CEC’s resignation.

“We have no other option. If we go out, they will detain us,” said a Delhi University student among the protesters.

A representative of the gurdwara criticised the police action, calling it “BJP sarkaar ki gundagardi hai”.

Police Maintain Vigil Outside Premises

While police officials spoke to the gurdwara authorities about the situation, a standoff continued outside the premises. Police personnel and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) members remained deployed in the area, with security forces prepared to detain protesters who stepped out. The Delhi Police also succeeded in detaining some protesters.

The situation at Bangla Sahib showed the wider crackdown across central Delhi, where barricades, security checks and restrictions on movement managed to prevent this from turning into a movement, as many had been expecting.

The crackdown was visible even before protesters could reach the protest site. CJP founder and convener Abhijeet Dipke and co-conveners Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were detained by police after landing at Delhi airport. YouTuber Dhruv Rathee was also detained ahead of the demonstration.

The detentions extended beyond the youth-led movement. Opposition leaders, including former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee and former Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, were among those detained as they attempted to participate in protests against the Election Commission. Other opposition leaders and party workers were also taken into custody.

Electoral Roll Revision Sparks Opposition

The immediate flashpoint is the revision of electoral rolls under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise. Opposition parties and activists have alleged that the process risks disenfranchising millions of voters and have questioned its transparency. The Election Commission has maintained that the exercise is intended to verify electoral rolls and remove ineligible entries.

For protesters at Bangla Sahib, however, the dispute over electoral rolls had acquired a more immediate dimension: whether they would be allowed to assemble and make their demands heard without being detained.

As the day progressed, the police continued to monitor the gurdwara's entrances while protesters waited inside, unwilling to abandon their demonstration but wary of stepping out. The slogans briefly breaking the quiet outside the religious premises offered a glimpse of the protest that the police crackdown had sought to contain.