Hundreds detained, stadiums turned into holding centres
Updated : 10 October 2026, 14:56
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Protesters are detained by security personnel during a protest by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) seeking the resignation of India's Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, near the protest site in New Delhi, India, October 10, 2026. REUTERS
Key updates:
- Abhijeet Dipke, Dhruv Rathee among more than 500 protesters detained
- 45 metro stations shut
- Police say protesters will face force of law if they violate ban
- Demonstrators want election chief Gyanesh Kumar to resign
- Opposition says disputed voter list changes taint state votes
- BJP says rivals cry foul as they cannot beat Modi at polls
Police in the Indian capital detained scores of protesters on Saturday amid patrols by thousands of security forces, with travel and telecoms links suspended, in a lockdown to stop a youth protest asking the election chief to quit.
The protest by the "Cockroach" youth movement, aims to draw thousands of demonstrators against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over a revision of voter lists that critics say favours Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party.
From 'cockroach' post to protest leader: India's Abhijeet Dipke tests Modi govt
Television images showed police in the central business district of New Delhi chasing down a few dozen young protesters, some wearing backpacks, before they were loaded into vehicles and hauled away.
2:00pm
Hundreds detained, stadiums turned into holding centres
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Photo: Reuters
Hundreds of protesters were detained across Delhi on Saturday as police mounted a large-scale operation to prevent a demonstration at Jantar Mantar against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
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Photo: Reuters
Among those taken into custody were Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke, other leaders of the group and YouTuber Dhruv Rathee.
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Photo: Reuters
The detentions took place at multiple locations, including Connaught Place, Dhaula Kuan and areas surrounding Jantar Mantar, after Delhi Police denied permission for the protest. The authorities cited security concerns and alleged violations during earlier demonstrations.
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Photo: Reuters
Police said around 500 people who had arrived in separate groups were detained, while nearly 50 others with criminal antecedents were apprehended as a preventive measure. A separate police account reported around 200 additional detentions in the Connaught Place area.
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Photo: Reuters
The operation included barricades, vehicle inspections, drone surveillance and temporary detention facilities as security personnel sought to prevent protesters from reaching the demonstration site.
1:30pm
Ajinkya Shinde to lead Jantar Mantar protest
In a tweet, Cockroach Janta Party - CJP said, "Until Abhijeet Dipke, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka are in detention, CJP’s Organization In-Charge Ajinkya Shinde will lead this protest at Jantar Mantar."
IMPORTANT Until Abhijeet Dipke, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka are in detention, CJP’s Organization In-Charge Ajinkya Shinde will lead this protest at Jantar Mantar. Abhijeet had pre-recorded this video last night in anticipation of a potential arrest. @AjinkyaCJP https://t.co/WSQ69mKfTV
— Cockroach Janta Party - CJP (@Cockroachisback) October 10, 2026
Abhijeet had pre-recorded a video last night in anticipation of a potential arrest, the tweet adds.
11:15am
Indian police detain 'cockroach' movement founder Abhijeet Dipke
Police in the Indian capital Delhi detained the founder of the Cockroach Janta Party, Abhijeet Dipke, on Saturday, ahead of a protest called by the youth movement demanding the resignation of the country’s chief election commissioner, the party said.
🚨 ABHIJEET DIPKE, SAURAV DAS AND ASHUTOSH RANKA DETAINED FROM INSIDE THEIR FLIGHT 🚨 Shame on you @narendramodi @AmitShah https://t.co/hXl6bzh53i
— Cockroach Janta Party - CJP (@Cockroachisback) October 10, 2026
TV channels reported earlier that police officers met Dipke at the Delhi airport after he arrived from the financial capital Mumbai and asked him to call off the protest as authorities had banned it.
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India's Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke is detained by police officers from a plane in New Delhi. Reuters
CJP leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were also detained from their flight upon landing, the movement said in a statement.
10:50am
India detains protesters, locks down Delhi ahead of rally against election chief
About 200 protesters were detained in the area, a police source told Reuters. Those detained outside Delhi included protest supporter Dhruv Rathee, a popular figure on YouTube, a police spokesperson said.
With metro stations and markets shut and mobile internet suspended, police boarded buses to check for protesters after stopping them at points of entry into the city, with cars and other vehicles also subjected to checks, Reuters witnesses said.
Barricades and concrete blocks stopped traffic, while anti-riot vehicles mounted with tear gas guns were stationed on key routes, they said.
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Members of the Rapid Action Force (RAF) stand guard ahead of a protest planned by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) seeking the resignation of India's Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, near the protest site in New Delhi, India, October 10, 2026. REUTERS
"Why is the prime minister so scared of the country's youth, the country's people?" Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the self-named 'Cockroach Janta Party' that called the protest, asked on Saturday, shortly before leaving for Delhi.
"Why did you need to close all the railways, the metro, the internet has been closed, roads have been closed? ... this is nothing but fear," he told the ANI news agency in the financial capital of Mumbai.
The protesters have said they plan to gather at Jantar Mantar, a protest site designated by authorities in the heart of New Delhi, at 10 a.m.
NEW CHALLENGE TO MODI
The protest, touted by the CJP as an effort to "Save Democracy", is planned as the biggest of a series of demonstrations launched last week after the Indian Express newspaper said Kumar's deputies had queried and disagreed with him over list revisions that dropped about 130 million voters.
That number exceeds the population of Japan.
Opposition parties have long accused the government of trying to fix voter lists to its advantage and were quick to resurrect the allegations following the report.
Kumar has not commented but the Election Commission and the BJP have denied the allegations.
The BJP says Modi's popularity and India's economic growth are key reasons for its electoral dominance and accuses opposition parties of misleading the country as they are unable to win elections.
The Dictator is using “shock and awe” tactics to scare and intimidate the citizens of India. Indians will not be scared any more. Gandhi, Ambedkar and Nehru are standing behind us. They enshrined the right to vote. Gyanesh Kumar can’t take it away! Gyaanu Gaddar Must Resign!
— Cockroach Janta Party - CJP (@Cockroachisback) October 10, 2026
Nonetheless, the near daily protests by opposition groups pose a new political challenge to Modi, just months after similar demonstrations forced his education minister to quit over exam paper leaks.
They also come months before a series of key state elections starting in early 2027, among them one in the most populous state of Uttar Pradesh, ruled by the BJP.
On Friday, Delhi police said they had not given permission for the protest and violators would face the force of the law.
Their "temporary and precautionary" curbs aimed at regulating people's movement, preventing overcrowding, maintaining public order, and ensuring the safety of protesters and others in the affected areas, police said in a statement.
CJP leaders rejected the police decision and said they would go ahead with the protest as it was their fundamental right.
DELETIONS AFFECTED STATE POLLS, OPPOSITION ALLEGES
The protesters accuse the BJP of using the revision of voter lists to sway election results, in collusion with its appointees in the Election Commission, including Kumar.
Opposition parties say the voter deletions affected the outcome of some recent state elections won by the BJP, and have cast a shadow on the electoral process in the world's largest democracy.
Election Commission data, also cited by the BJP, shows about 130 million names, have been deleted from voter lists during the verification exercise, including 63 million who relocated, 30 million who could not be traced, and 28 million dead.
The commission says the count represents voter entries flagged during the draft revision stage, that the exercise is not complete yet, and voters wrongly removed can enroll again.
ANTI-INDIA PROTEST DHRUV RATHEE INDIA ANTI-CEC PROTEST INDIA PROTEST
