On Saturday, clashes broke out between protesters and police at many places during the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) demonstration in Delhi demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Hundreds of protesters who were trying to march from Gurudwara Bangla Sahib to Jantar Mantar were detained.
Many CJP and opposition leaders including Neha Bora were also detained.
The protesters accused the police of lathi charge and being strict with them. The lawyer stopped a bus carrying protesters in Connaught Place, after which many protesters got down from the bus and ran away.
The question is, what did an organization of youth that came into existence just five months ago do that the government had to make security arrangements on such a large scale before the protest against SIR in Delhi on Saturday?
According to the news of Indian Express, unprecedented security arrangements were made in Delhi till Friday evening to stop this demonstration of Cockroach Janata Party. The capital was turned into a multi-layered security cordon with the deployment of at least 30,000 policemen and paramilitary forces.
These also include soldiers called from sensitive areas like Jammu and Kashmir. Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has described this situation as the implementation of Kashmir model in Delhi.
Despite the Supreme Court expressing concern over the government's decision to shut down trains and metro in Delhi and saying that the public should not face any problems, public transport remained at a standstill. Regarding which Cockroach Janata Party member Ashutosh Ranka said that 'trains used to run on time even when dictator Indira Gandhi imposed emergency.'
Keeping this whole picture in front, senior journalist Smita Gupta, associated with The Hindu newspaper, told BBC News Hindi that last time the CJP's demonstration on the issue of paper leak and the protest in Mumbai on the issue of SIR gave the government a glimpse of what could happen next. The government does not want to let this happen at all this time.
On the other hand, senior journalist Tavleen Singh has criticized this step of the Central Government and has written, "I do not remember that there has ever been such a heavy deployment of police and paramilitary forces in Delhi. Or such a ruckus has been created over any demonstration. The government has benefited the cockroach Janata Party by giving it so much importance."
After CJP's call for Jantar Mantar 2.0 movement, The Wire editor and senior journalist Seema Chishti spoke to BBC News Hindi about the strict strategy of the central government.
He said, last time in June, when the Cockroach Janata Party had started a dharna at Jantar Mantar in Delhi over the NEET paper leak and irregularities in the examination system, no one had expected its success, not even the government itself.
She said, "Due to that movement, Dharmendra Pradhan, who was the Education Minister in the Central Government, had to resign. Therefore, this time the government did not want a crowd to gather in Delhi and people's pressure to fall on the government. Because if the Chief Election Commissioner also had to go in the same manner, then the government would become weak."
Senior journalist Aditi Phadnis, who participated in BBC News Hindi's podcast 'Dinbhar', says on this issue that the way the matter had gone out of the government's hands during the protests over NEET irregularities, both the Center and the Delhi government do not want to let the same happen this time.
She further says, "That situation was humiliating for both of them and a lot was said about it in the media of the country and abroad. That is why the government has tried so strictly to give the message that it is fully prepared this time."
Senior journalist Smita Gupta says that in this movement, SIR, paper leak, fear of people losing their votes, fear of farmers, fear of jobs for youth, all these issues are part of it.
Bharatiya Janata Party also knows that among the youth who last protested against the government on the issue of NEET and paper leak, many of them were its core voters.
This time the government is not able to see the division even on the basis of caste and religion. Nor is there any gap between the rich and the poor because many people, from the poor to the rich, have received some notice on SIR.
Senior journalist Seema Chishti also sees it in a similar way. In his view, the government will have to find a basic political solution.
She also emphasizes that the solution to this problem will have to be found through political means only, because the use of force will have the possibility of worsening the situation.
At the same time, senior journalist Aditi Phadnis said that if the government thinks that by taking this strict action the protests will stop, then it is wrong. What will happen to the questions and feelings that people have in their minds?
'It is better if people speak out loudly, rather than keep grudges within and BJP will see its results in the coming elections.'
Chirag Paswan, cabinet minister in the central government and president of NDA's ally Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), raised questions on the cancellation of trains and closure of roads.
On the other hand, last Thursday, senior BJP leader and former Union Minister Murli Manohar Joshi, while emphasizing on fair elections and adherence to the Constitution, had said that this entire process should be within the ambit of the Constitution and if the Constitution is violated, then the Supreme Court should investigate it.
On this, senior journalist Seema Chishti says that due to such questions being raised from within the alliance and the party, the pressure is increasing on BJP itself.
The issue of vote theft by the opposition was started by Rahul Gandhi, but it did not have much impact because people are not able to trust political parties that much.
But on the other hand, the style of Cockroach Janata Party is able to connect people. Abhijeet Deepke also gives speeches in the same manner as people like. He calls himself the son of the poor. His party has a strong online hold.
Therefore, Cockroach Janata Party will benefit from this issue. I personally feel that such a situation has come that this government should be removed and then it will be seen who comes after them.
Like during the Emergency, people had only one thing in their mind that to remove Indira Gandhi. I think we are about to reach the point where they should be removed.
Although the issue of vote theft has been going on for a long time, but the way the Indian Express has reported on it, this issue has gained a lot of importance since then.
The Indian Express, in a report published on September 25, 2026, had claimed that two election commissioners had lodged objections '14 times in 10 months' regarding the Election Commission's actions.
According to the report, "These objections were lodged by Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi on matters ranging from keeping themselves in the dark to adding and deleting names of new voters and raised questions over 'unauthorized, illegal' steps."
Seema Chishti, editor of The Wire and senior journalist, says that it is clear to the government that even ending the protest completely is not a victory for it.
The government is not handling this protest properly, rather it is controlling it. By stopping the trains in this way, the government is giving the message that it wants to end it not through political means but through force. And this is not a victory for the government by any means.
Senior journalist Aditi Phadnis says that if you do not allow people to speak, then people will respond in some other way.
Senior journalist Smita Gupta says that Cockroach Janata Party's Abhijeet Deepke spoke in a direct threatening tone, which is rarely seen. This time the government wants to stop this demonstration at any cost.
Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, who was the face of the protest last time, did not participate in the Jantar Mantar movement this time.
He has given the message through his video message on Friday evening that he has done his work. He said, "A matchstick is needed to light a stove; when the stove is lit, food starts cooking."
However, after the day-long detention and arrest proceedings on Saturday, he posted another video statement and warned the government.
He said, “The way people have been arrested, it seems that this is an undeclared emergency. If the arrested people are not released, I will also be forced to participate in the protest through dharna, padayatra or in some other way."
What did the government say on this issue?
While on one hand, preparations were going on on war footing to deal with the proposed protest of Cockroach Janata Party on October 9, on the same day, in the West Bengal Assembly by-election, BJP has won both Nandigram and Rejinagar seats by a huge margin.
Opposition parties have lost public support. That's why they raise questions on institutions after every defeat. But the public has recognized his real face. This is the reason why the public has once again expressed its unwavering trust in BJP by giving an overwhelming majority.
