The Jantar Mantar protests planned on 10th October 2026 against the CEC, Gyanesh Kumar, and SIR witnessed the Delhi Police detaining major leaders of opposition parties along with protestors from across the capital.
On 10th October, ahead of the planned Jantar Mantar protests, the Delhi Police detained CJP Founder Abhijeet Dipke along with other leaders like Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka from their flight at the Delhi IGI Airport. Alongside them, CJP Spokesperson Mehr Parsicha has also been detained.
YouTuber and political commentator Dhruv Rathee has also reportedly been detained from his Gurugram Residence before he could make it to the protest. Similarly, Leftist leaders like CPI(M) General Secretary M.A Baby, ex-MP Brinda Karat, and M.V. Govindan have also been detained and put on a bus ahead of setting out to Jantar Mantar.
Live Law reported that a group of lawyers who were protesting against the CEC and SIR were also detained by the Delhi Police after they marched for “around 100 yards.” The location of the lawyers is currently unknown.
In addition to lawyers, the Delhi Police have also begun to detain journalists despite their declaration as well as possession of Press ID Cards. Scroll News reported that their journalist, Ayush Tiwari, was detained by the Delhi Police near ITO, which is 3.1 km away from Jantar Mantar. Tiwari said, “I literally shouted out to say that I’m a journalist. But the police said everyone is claiming to be a journalist.”
News Laundry too released a statement that their journalists, Ashwine Kumar Singh, Astha Savyasachi, and Anmol Pritam have been detained with their official phones seized by the Delhi Police. Similarly, two journalists were taken to the Chanakyapuri Police Station, where they were informed that they had not been detained, but were also not allowed to leave until the Investigating Officer arrived, writes Caravan Magazine.
Apart from political leaders, journalists, and lawyers, the Delhi Police has released a statement that “500 people arriving in various groups from different locations have been detained.” This comes after a shutdown has been imposed on the capital, with 20+ students detained en route to Delhi via the Goa Express in Madhya Pradesh. Similarly, 45 Metro Stations across the capital have been closed, with traffic blockages and restrictions across multiple key areas.
Image Credits: DU Beat
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