Shashi Tharoor slams Delhi crackdown on CJP protest, calls it ‘undeclared Emer-GenZ’ | Today’s news
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Saturday criticized the security restrictions imposed in Delhi amid Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)’s Jantar Mantar protest against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar. He described the arrangement in the state capital as unprecedented and likened it to an “undeclared Emer-GenZ”.
In a strongly worded statement, Tharoor flagged checkpoints every few hundred metres, concrete barriers and spike strips across our roads, the wartime deployment of 22,000 police and paramilitary troops across the city, 250 trains canceled and 45 metro stations closed, and reports of youths being detained from their homes and streets in and around Delhi.
Tharoor particularly criticized the suspension of internet services in parts of the national capital, calling it one of the most regressive and repressive measures.
“Freedom of movement is completely restricted,” he said, questioning why the authorities had restricted access to Jantar Mantar, a place for citizens to express dissent.
He also questioned whether the government would impose similar restrictions if protesters return on Monday and called for the release of those detained.
“A government that is convinced of the fairness of its elections would welcome questions on them, while a government that turns its capital into a fortress to avoid them will only deepen the very suspicions it is trying to quell,” Tharoor said.
He called on the government to provide answers to protesters’ concerns rather than resorting to force, adding that the barricades would not restore public confidence in the electoral commission.
CJP protest: Activists detained under increased security
The criticism came as security was tightened in Delhi ahead of a CJP-led protest against the Election Commission.
Earlier in the day, CJP activist Abhijeet Dipke, who traveled from Mumbai to Delhi to attend the demonstration, claimed in an Instagram video that he and his associates were detained by the police while disembarking from a flight at the Delhi airport.
The organization also claimed that content creator Dhruv Rathee had been detained and said the government was “TERRIFYING young people questioning her wrongdoing and refusing to remain silent”.
Police said the New Delhi district has been divided into 20 operational zones, with dedicated detention centers set up for each zone as part of security measures.
Several protesters were detained after they gathered at Jantar Mantar and Sansad Marg, amid extensive barricades and heightened security at entry points to the state capital.
According to the details provided, 46 metro stations remained closed as security personnel were deployed at multiple locations across the city.
