CJP protests Day 1: 7,000 detained, including four former CMs, Metro shutdown and CJI intervention; how it developed | Today’s news
Delhi turned into a high-security zone on Saturday as police detained protesters who were heading towards Jantar Mantar after the Janta Cockroach Party called for a protest against alleged malpractices by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar during the Special Intensive Review (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Police detained senior CJP leaders Abhijeet Dipke, Sourav Das and Ashutosh Ranko from the plane when it landed in the state capital.
Barricades were set up, 45 metro stations were closed
Barricades were set up at the Ghazipur border and the gates of 45 metro stations remained closed, prompting allegations of a crackdown on democratic rights and a counterattack by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Quick answers to key questions
•5 QUESTIONS
The CJP has called for a protest over alleged irregularities by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar during a special intensive revision of electoral rolls. The party demanded his resignation.
More than 7,000 people were detained in Delhi during the protest. Most were released by late night, but CJP leaders Abhijeet Dipke, Sourav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were still detained, according to reports.
The four former chief ministers who were reportedly detained were Pinarayi Vijayan, Manik Sarkar, Arvind Kejriwal and Mamata Banerjee.
The Supreme Court Bar has informed the Chief Justice of India that the lawyers have been detained. After Surya Kant spoke to the authorities, the lawyers were released.
Yes. A major report said gates at 45 metro stations remained closed during the security operation, disrupting movement in parts of the capital.
More than 7,000 persons were detained in the state capital and all were released only at night. However, the CJP leaders are still detained by the Delhi Police.
Read also | CJP calls for fresh protests at Jantar Mantar tomorrow: All we know
The CJP wrote a letter to the Delhi Police Commissioner demanding the immediate release of Dipke, Das and Ranka, disclosure of their whereabouts and immediate access to their lawyers.
In particular, Dipke was informed that his grandmother died on Saturday after prolonged illness at Santuk Pimpri village in Hingoli district of Maharashtra. Officials said he had been briefed on the news and the timing of the funeral. He was also offered assistance to help him travel to his home, ANI reported.
Main politicians detained
During the day, the Delhi Police detained prominent politicians from opposition parties, which included four former chief ministers, including Pinarayi Vijayan, Manik Sarkar, Arvind Kejriwal and Mamata Banerjee.
Vijayan accused the government of a “ruthless crackdown on democracy” and claimed that journalists were also being detained.
Kejriwal said in a video after his arrest that the youth of the country has woken up and will not be intimidated.
AISA president Neha Bora was also detained.
How Congress responded
Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi remained defiant, telling the prime minister: “Arrest all the leaders. Arrest all the youth. Arrest us all,” he wrote on X, adding that the opposition “will not back down.” The Congress is scheduled to hold its own protest on October 12.
Accusing the government of undermining democratic values, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said, “India is no longer a democracy. It is a dictatorship run by Mr. Narendra Modi and Mr. Amit Shah.”
Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge accused the government of turning the “mother of democracy” into a “muzzle democracy”.
Read also | Delhi Metro Update: DMRC says entry and exit of all stations is now open
How BJP responded
BJP president Nitin Nabin alleged that opposition groups were trying to destabilize the country and that their actions were directed by “foreign forces”.
Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar also echoed Nabin’s sentiments, calling the movement an attempt to “destabilize the country”, adding: “Everybody knows where the CJP gets its finances and power from.”
Sambit Patra held a press conference where he declared, “Democracy has won over mob rule. The way democracy was demonstrated in Delhi today and the way everything is under control is commendable. I would like to repeat one thing: the anarchists have failed.”
Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said: “I accept that in a democracy every individual has the right to express dissent. But we must not forget that spreading anarchy is no one’s right.”
The Chief Justice intervenes after the lawyer has been detained; Special SC meeting on Sunday
The Chief Justice of India Surya Kant himself had to intervene at one point when the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) informed him about the detention of lawyers by the police. The lawyers were released only after the CJI personally intervened in the matter.
The Supreme Court is set to hold a special session on Sunday to hear a contempt petition alleging that the authorities, including the Union home minister, willfully disobeyed the apex court’s order against the complete shutdown of public transport ahead of today’s protest.
