Delhi steps up security ahead of CJP’s October 10 protest at Jantar Mantar.
Police monitor buses, previous protesters, universities and PG accommodations ahead of mobilisation.
CJP seeks Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation over SIR and electoral process changes.
Delhi is gearing up for a Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest at Jantar Mantar on October 10, with the Centre assigning 221 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), comprising around 23,000 personnel, to the Delhi Police.
Police are also tracking people identified during the party’s earlier protest, monitoring buses headed towards the national capital and reaching out to universities and paying guest (PG) accommodation owners to discourage students from joining the demonstration.
The protest is aimed at pressing Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar to step down over the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The CJP has also demanded changes to the electoral process.
As a precursor to the Delhi protest, the party held a demonstration in Bengaluru on Thursday, which was attended by YouTuber Dhruv Rathee and actor Prakash Raj. Rathee has also urged people to participate in the October 10 rally in New Delhi.
Security Deployment In Delhi
The Ministry of Home Affairs has assigned 221 CAPF companies to the Delhi Police for deployment between October 8 and 12.
The Indian Express described the deployment as one of the largest central-force deployments for law-and-order duties in the capital during a protest. The reinforcements include personnel being brought in from Jammu and Kashmir, West Bengal and Chhattisgarh.
India Today correspondent Jitendra Bahadur Singh, citing sources, reported that 50 additional CAPF companies are being deployed. This would take the number of CAPF companies assisting the Delhi Police to more than 200 and put the overall central-force deployment at around 20,000 personnel.
The additional personnel are expected to assist with crowd management, security around key government buildings and law-and-order duties in central Delhi. PTI reported that at least 15,000 Delhi Police personnel are also expected to be deployed.
Police Track Previous Protesters
Police are also looking back at the July agitation. The protest, held over the NEET-UG paper leak, ended after BJP MP Dharmendra Pradhan resigned as Union Education Minister.
Officials cited by The Indian Express said police have identified around 2,800 people through facial-recognition systems who allegedly have criminal antecedents and were present during the July protest. Station house officers have been asked to monitor whether any of them are heading towards New Delhi district ahead of October 10.
Police have also been directed to monitor those who helped organise logistics for the earlier agitation, including bus operators and other suppliers. Officers are checking bus bookings to determine who is hiring vehicles, how many people are being transported and where they are headed.
The police watch also extends to educational institutions. According to the Hindustan Times, police have been instructed to speak to university and college heads and ask them to ensure students do not join the protest. Officers have also been asked to contact PG owners in major student hubs and advise them to discourage students from participating.
Routes into Delhi are also under close watch, particularly the eastern and Shahdara borders with Uttar Pradesh and routes from Rajasthan in the southwest. Barricades are expected at several entry points, while restrictions have been imposed on several stretches around Jantar Mantar.
By October 1, police had already called in at least 20 CAPF companies, while PTI reported that nearly 4,000 security personnel had been deployed across the New Delhi area.
Police are also preparing temporary detention facilities at stadiums in case large numbers of protesters arrive, refuse to disperse and insist on courting arrest, PTI reported, citing anonymous officials.
Bodycams Deployed Amid Allegations
PTI reported that the Delhi Police have issued body-worn cameras to officers and personnel deployed across New Delhi, particularly those handling crowd management and security around protest sites and roads leading to the Election Commission office.
Around 150 bodycams are in use, PTI reported, citing police sources. The devices are intended to create a record of interactions between officers and protesters.
The move comes after three women journalists alleged that they were manhandled and sexually harassed during a protest against Gyanesh Kumar at Jantar Mantar on October 2. Police have denied the allegations.
A Delhi Police source told PTI that bodycam recordings could help establish what happened during confrontations and provide evidence when allegations are made against either protesters or police personnel.
CJP To Go Ahead With October 10 Protest
The CJP has said it will go ahead with the October 10 demonstration despite Delhi Police not granting permission for the proposed protest.
CJP co-convener Saurav Das posted on X on Thursday, asking, “Who the hell is a police force to ‘appeal’ to citizens to join or not join a protest?”
He called the right to protest a constitutionally guaranteed fundamental right and said the group would peacefully protest while challenging the authorities to provide Jantar Mantar or “see entire Delhi turn into it”.
Delhi AAP president Saurabh Bharadwaj alleged on X that several students and volunteers associated with AAP and ASAP had been arrested and taken to undisclosed locations. He also alleged that their phones had been switched off.
In a separate post, Bharadwaj alleged that a large police and paramilitary deployment had reached AAP MLA Kuldeep Kumar’s residence ahead of the October 10 protest.
“Huge Police and paramilitary force at MLA Kuldeep Kumar's house to arrest him before Jantar Mantar protest of 10th October. BJP Govt so scared of GenZ protest,” Bharadwaj wrote on X.
The security build-up comes after several days of protests in Delhi over the Special Intensive Revision exercise, including demonstrations in which Opposition leaders were detained.
With the CJP and allied student groups planning a fresh mobilisation on October 10, the Delhi Police is preparing not only for the gathering at Jantar Mantar but also for the possibility of organised movement towards the capital from outside the city.
