Indian authorities have imposed extraordinary security measures to block protesters from joining a demonstration called by the Cockroach Janta Party in New Delhi. The main leaders of the party have been detained too.
Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke and other party leaders detained on landing in Delhi. 43,000 police and security personnel deployed across Delhi. Internet services suspended in central Delhi. Massive restrictions in place on metro and railway services. CJP called for a rally — that has not been authorized by police — to oppose ongoing revision of voter lists and demand resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Tens of thousands of security personnel have been deployed and roads barricaded across New Delhi to prevent the latest Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) demonstration. Police have detained thousands of protesters in a major crackdown. Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke and two other leaders were detained before disembarking from a flight in the capital. Some protesters who turned back from Jantar Mantar, the designated protest site, have been waiting in different parts of central Delhi, determined to hold their ground.
DW Hindi's Adarsh Sharma, who is on the ground in New Delhi, spoke to protesters as they faced a security crackdown. "We were running back and forth. When the police are moving forward, we go back. When they are withdrawing, we are moving forward," the protester told DW. Another protester, Jasmine, described how the morning unfolded for the demonstrators. "We have been playing a game of cat and mouse with the police, trying to stop them from picking us up," she said.
Ajinkya Shinde, who was handed the responsibility of leading the Cockroach Janta Party's protest following the detentions of its main leaders, has made his first statement — calling for a continued march to Jantar Mantar. "We appeal to everyone to march towards Jantar Mantar! If Delhi Police tries to stop you, wherever they stop you will become your Jantar Mantar," he said in a video post made by the CJP on X.
Indian media outlets, including Scroll and Newslaundry, reported that their journalists had been detained by police while covering the 'Cockroach' party protest. The journalists were later released. Newslaundry reported that police seized its reporters’ phones, while other reports said journalists were physically assaulted. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has called on Delhi Police to immediately release all detained journalists and media workers.
Detained Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke's grandmother is reported to have died on Saturday. Indian media reports said that Dipke's paternal grandmother had been suffering from a prolonged illness and had been unwell in recent days. She died in her native village in Maharashtra, reports said.
The formal association of advocates at India's apex court called for urgent intervention by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant after several lawyers were detained by Delhi police. The Supreme Court Bar Association passed a resolution condemning the use of "excessive force against, and detention of, senior and young advocates, particularly women advocates, who were peacefully protesting in the Supreme Court area today."
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has slammed the measures taken by Indian authorities to prevent the Cockroach Janta Party's protest from going ahead. He called out a "war-like deployment" of security personnel and said that the suspension of the internet in a key part of Delhi was among the "most regressive" and "repressive" measures. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) National Convenor and former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal also mounted an emergency-related attack against Modi's government. "This is worse than the Emergency. It's official.. we are living under an absolute dictatorship ruled by Modi."
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday accused opposition leaders including Rahul Gandhi and Arvind Kejriwal of "attempting to incite tensions" in the country. "The Govt of India will deal strictly with the attempts you are making to incite tension, and BJP workers, remaining constantly among the people, will effectively thwart your designs," BJP President Nitin Nabin told news agencies on Saturday morning.
