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Written By :- BarkatKhan
Chronicle Craze News Desk.
Meta Description: Ahead of the October 10 Jantar Mantar protest in Delhi, police have detained students and activists across several states, denied permission for the rally, and shut down 57 metro stations. CJP and AISF allege a nationwide crackdown. The Supreme Court has stepped in. Here's everything you need to know.Less than 24 hours before the October 10 Jantar Mantar protest in New Delhi, the Indian capital is in a state of high alert. Delhi Police has denied permission for the rally, asked the metro rail corporation to shut entry and exit gates at 57 stations through Friday night and Saturday, and deployed more than 220 companies of central armed police forces — roughly 23,000 personnel — with riot gear and ammunition rushed in from Jammu and Kashmir, West Bengal, and Chhattisgarh.
The protest, called by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and left-affiliated student organisations, demands the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the rollback of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. But what has truly escalated tensions is the wave of detentions that has swept across multiple states in the run-up to the event.
The most specific allegation came from the AISF, which claimed that a delegation of students travelling from Pune to New Delhi on the Goa Express (train number 12779) was subjected to an attempted "arbitrary detention" mid-journey. The CJP posted a video on social media purportedly showing a group of young people being bundled into a bus, alleging that these students were intercepted in Madhya Pradesh and were being taken to an "undisclosed location."
The SFI's statement was more granular. It alleged that police began visiting activists' homes on Wednesday night, detaining them and pressuring their families. Those named include Arif, the Saharanpur district convenor of SFI; Salil, the Sultanpur district president; and Daud Rao, a leader of the All India Kisan Sabha.
In Maharashtra, Mumbai police allegedly detained an activist and released him only on the condition that he remain in the city. In Rajasthan, Deepak Baliyan, the CJP's national co-convenor, was first picked up from his home by Alwar police and, after release, placed under house arrest, with the CJP claiming that around 40 plainclothes officers were stationed outside his residence.
The Police's Position: Procedural Violations and "Law and Order" Concerns
Nupur Prasad, the Joint Commissioner of Police for the New Delhi Range, said the CJP's application was submitted only on October 7, whereas rules require a 10-day advance notice. Police also accused the organisation of having "failed to comply with legal instructions and its own commitments" during previously permitted protests.
Under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, prohibitory orders are in force across the New Delhi district, barring the assembly of four or more people. Police have also asked the Delhi government to shut liquor shops on October 9 and 10, citing "potential law and order problems."
In an internal communication, a senior police officer asked personnel to "prepare for the storm," while cautioning that "real strength lies not in controlling the crowd, but in doing so with discipline, dignity, and minimum force."
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for the petitioners, asked the court: "57 metro stations are shut, the internet is blocked, freedom of movement is denied — what has happened to my country?" The petitioners' legal team argued that a peaceful protest does not become illegal merely because permission was not granted, and that the police's "door-to-door warnings" and pressure on hostel residents were particularly troubling.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta countered that police measures were aimed at "preventing any illegal activity." The court directed the petitioners to provide details by 2 pm on whether permission had been formally sought.
Meanwhile, 47 prominent citizens — including former civil servants, academics, and activists — wrote an open letter to the Delhi Police Commissioner, alleging that police visits to mosques, residences, and hotels to dissuade citizens from participating amounted to "criminal intimidation," and warning that officers "will be held accountable in a court of law."
SIR is the Election Commission's voter roll verification exercise, rolled out from 2025 and completed in its first phase in Bihar and other states. Critics say the process has led to the deletion of large numbers of eligible voters — particularly Muslim voters — on the grounds of "logical discrepancies." According to reports cited by the protesting organisations, Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi raised objections in at least 14 documented instances related to SIR decisions, some of which were allegedly issued "without informing or advising the two commissioners."
The CJP's demands have expanded beyond Kumar's resignation to include: freezing SIR, restoring the electoral roll as it stood in January 2025, an independent investigation into alleged irregularities, and the repeal of the 2023 law governing the appointment of election commissioners.
The historical resonance of Jantar Mantar is hard to miss. Since the 1990s, this stretch of central Delhi has been the nerve centre of Indian dissent — from Anna Hazare's 2011 hunger strike to the nationwide outrage after the 2012 Nirbhaya case to the CJP-led student movement in June 2026 that forced the education minister's resignation. Just a few kilometres from Parliament, it embodies India's most direct tradition of democratic expression.
Delhi Police's intelligence assessment estimates that up to 50,000 people could gather from Delhi and neighbouring states. Multi-layer barricades have been erected on roads leading to Jantar Mantar and Parliament, and audio warnings are being played on loop around Connaught Place and the protest site.
Organisers say the protest will go ahead with or without permission. After submitting a "knowledge letter," CJP co-convenor Saurav Das said: "What authority does Delhi Police have to give us permission? This is our constitutional right."
The outcome of this standoff will not just determine the fate of a single protest. It will test the real boundaries of dissent in India as the country moves closer to a pivotal election year.
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