Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Oct 10: Around 1,000 protesters were detained across the national capital on Saturday while on their way to participate in a Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)-led agitation demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, police said.
Security has been tightened across the National Capital Region (NCR), including border areas, in view of the planned protests.
Indian Railways cancelled and rescheduled several trains scheduled to arrive in New Delhi, while the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) shut entry and exit at 45 Metro stations as part of measures taken by Delhi Police to prevent protesters from reaching the designated venue at Jantar Mantar.
Police had said on Friday that permission for the CJP protest had been denied as the organisers allegedly failed to comply with legal directions and undertakings given during an earlier protest.
Earlier on Saturday, CJP leaders Abhijeet Dipke, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were detained at the Indira Gandhi International Airport while on their way to Jantar Mantar to protest against alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and demand CEC Gyanesh Kumar's resignation.
Delhi Police personnel entered the aircraft carrying Dipke after it landed at the airport. Dipke later posted a video on social media showing police personnel entering the flight and detaining him along with fellow CJP members Das and Ranka.
In the video, Dipke was heard telling the police, “...I have come here to be arrested; arrest me.”
The CJP announced the detentions through a post on its social media handle, stating, “Abhijeet Dipke DETAINED! Saurav Das DETAINED! Ashutosh Ranka DETAINED!”
Social media influencer Dhruv Rathee was also detained from his residence in Gurugram. According to a post on the CJP's X handle, around 50 police personnel in plain clothes reached Rathee's residence at around 8 am and took him into preventive custody.
Meanwhile, several Opposition leaders, including Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal, party leader Gopal Rai and former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, were also detained while protesting against the CEC over alleged irregularities in the SIR of electoral rolls.