Delhi police detain three CJP leaders at airport

Indian police detained three senior leaders of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), including Abhijit Dipke, Saurabh Das and Ashutosh Ranka, moments after their flight from Mumbai landed in New Delhi on Saturday, as the authorities moved decisively to thwart a planned protest demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

The party had called a demonstration at Jantar Mantar for 10 am local time, although Delhi Police had refused permission for the gathering. The three leaders had flown from Mumbai to take part, but their aircraft touched down at 10:19 am, whereupon officers boarded the plane and took them into custody. Earlier, the YouTuber Dhruv Rathee was reportedly detained at his residence in Gurugram over allegations that he intended to join the rally in defiance of police instructions, and Indian media reported that more than 400 people had been detained in various parts of the capital as the authorities sought to contain potential unrest.

Furthermore, Delhi has imposed sweeping restrictions to prevent protesters from assembling. More than 20,000 police and central armed police personnel have reportedly been deployed across the city, while mobile internet services around Jantar Mantar and adjoining areas were suspended from 10 pm on Friday until 10 pm on Saturday. Moreover, 45 metro stations were reportedly shut, and 250 trains were cancelled to discourage people from travelling to the protest. At Jantar Mantar itself, the authorities erected at least seven layers of barricades, some of them welded together, and loudspeaker announcements warned people against gathering, raising slogans or damaging public property.

Read More: WMO: El Nino may peak at record strength in December

Meanwhile, police have stepped up surveillance around sensitive locations, including the Election Commission’s office, Jantar Mantar, Janpath and police headquarters, where more than 300 CCTV cameras with audio-recording capabilities have reportedly been installed. In addition, social media posts related to the protest are being monitored, and more than 200 content creators are reportedly under scrutiny. Given earlier allegations of police misconduct and excessive force during demonstrations, officers and senior officials have reportedly been issued with body cameras, while hundreds of photographers and videographers have been assigned to document events.