23,000 personnel, 150 bodycams: Delhi police braces for CJP's October 10 protest against CEC

New Delhi: Delhi Police are preparing a major security operation ahead of the Cockroach Janta Party's (CJP) October 10 protest at Jantar Mantar, with the Centre providing 221 companies of central armed police forces, around 23,000 personnel, and 150 body-worn cameras being deployed.

Delhi is preparing for a fresh round of demonstrations on October 10, as the CJP plans to protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The party is demanding Kumar's resignation and changes to the electoral process.

The Ministry of Home Affairs has provided 221 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) to assist Delhi Police between October 8 and 12. The deployment amounts to approximately 23,000 personnel, according to reports. Delhi Police are also expected to deploy at least 15,000 personnel for crowd management, security around government buildings and law-and-order duties.

Security arrangements include monitoring routes into the capital, checking bus bookings and placing barricades at selected entry points, particularly along routes from Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. Police are also preparing temporary detention facilities in case large numbers of demonstrators are detained.

The CJP has said it will proceed with the protest despite police not granting permission for the proposed demonstration.

Police identify nearly 2,900 people from July protest

Delhi Police have registered a fresh FIR through the Crime Branch to investigate violence during the CJP's July 20 protest. According to police sources, the investigation will examine who was allegedly responsible for assaults on police personnel, vandalism and damage to public property, as well as whether the violence was premeditated.

Police have also identified 2,873 people with alleged criminal backgrounds through a facial recognition system used during the July agitation. However, officials reportedly put the system's accuracy at approximately 50 per cent, making it important to distinguish identification leads from independently established findings.

The FIR follows a Supreme Court direction under which Delhi Police cancelled 17 FIRs registered at different police stations in the New Delhi district. The fresh investigation is intended to identify those allegedly involved in the violence and examine whether individuals with criminal backgrounds entered the protest sites.

Police have instructed local officers to monitor whether people identified during the earlier agitation are travelling towards the capital. Bus operators and others suspected of providing logistical support during the previous protest are also being scrutinised.

Universities and PG owners contacted

As part of the security preparations, police are reportedly contacting university and college administrators and owners of paying guest accommodation in areas with large student populations. They have been asked to discourage students from joining the demonstration.

Authorities are also monitoring transport arrangements and the movement of groups towards Delhi. The measures reflect concerns about a potentially large mobilisation involving students and supporters travelling from outside the capital.

The CJP has challenged the police's appeal to citizens not to participate, arguing that peaceful protest is a constitutionally protected right. The group has maintained that it intends to demonstrate against the Election Commission's handling of the SIR exercise.

150 bodycams to record police-protester interactions

Delhi Police have issued approximately 150 body-worn cameras to personnel deployed around protest sites, key roads and the Election Commission of India office.

The cameras are intended to provide video records of interactions between police officers and protesters, potentially helping investigators establish what occurred during confrontations.

Their deployment follows allegations by three women journalists that they were manhandled and sexually harassed by police personnel during a protest against Gyanesh Kumar on October 2. Delhi Police have denied the allegations. The recordings could become relevant if disputes arise over police conduct or protesters' behaviour during the upcoming demonstration.

Political allegations over arrests ahead of protest

AAP's Delhi president Saurabh Bharadwaj has alleged that students and volunteers associated with AAP and allied groups were arrested and taken to undisclosed locations. He also alleged that a large police and paramilitary deployment had reached the residence of AAP MLA Kuldeep Kumar ahead of the protest, claiming authorities intended to arrest him. These claims have not been independently established in the supplied reports.

The allegations have added to tensions surrounding the planned mobilisation, which comes after several days of demonstrations over the SIR exercise and opposition criticism of the Election Commission.

Security preparations and the right to protest

The October 10 mobilisation brings together two competing concerns: the authorities' responsibility to maintain public order and the constitutional protection of peaceful assembly.

The scale of the security deployment, monitoring of transport routes and outreach to educational institutions suggest that police are preparing for participation beyond the immediate Jantar Mantar protest site. The fresh Crime Branch investigation into July's violence is a separate legal process and should not be taken as evidence that participants in the upcoming demonstration intend to engage in violence.

The reported limitations of the facial recognition system also raise questions about how identification leads are verified before individuals are treated as suspects. Bodycam footage may provide an additional record of events, although its usefulness will depend on the availability and examination of recordings.

The immediate developments to watch are whether the CJP proceeds with the protest, how police enforce restrictions, and whether the planned demonstration remains peaceful.