New Delhi: Several activists and political leaders, including Neha Bora, Prashant Bhushan, Yogendra Yadav and Dipankar Bhattacharya, were detained by Delhi Police on Saturday amid a security crackdown ahead of the Cockroach Janta Party's (CJP) planned protest at Jantar Mantar against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

Students’ Federation of India (SFI) leader Neha Bora, who said she was in detention, issued a message on social media urging people to assemble at Safdarjung Flyover amid the CJP protest in Delhi. In a post from her handle, she wrote, “I am in detention. The movement is not.” She also urged people who were stopped to sit where they were and hold the line.

Activists, Left leaders detained ahead of CJP protest

Delhi Police detained several activists and political leaders on October 10 as authorities stepped up security to prevent the CJP's planned demonstration in the national capital.

Those detained included All India Students' Association (AISA) national president Neha Bora, lawyer and activist Prashant Bhushan, political activist Yogendra Yadav and Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya. Reports said several of them were detained near INA Market while proceeding towards the protest.

Several senior CPI(M) leaders were also detained during the police action. They included party general secretary MA Baby, Brinda Karat, MV Govindan, PK Sreemathy, P Rajeev and Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas.

Former Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and former Kerala finance minister K N Balagopal were also reportedly taken into custody while heading towards Jantar Mantar. Other CPI(M) leaders and workers were detained after leaving Kerala Bhavan to join the demonstration.

Tushar Gandhi, the great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, was also detained in Mumbai and taken to DN Nagar police station, according to reports.

The detentions came as student organisations, Left parties and activists backed the CJP's campaign against the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Why are activists protesting against the SIR exercise?

The protest was organised to demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and raise concerns about the Election Commission's revision of electoral rolls.

Opposition parties and activists have questioned the exercise, alleging that it could lead to eligible voters being removed from electoral rolls. They have called for greater transparency, accountability and safeguards against disenfranchisement.

The Election Commission and the government have rejected allegations of political manipulation, maintaining that the revision aims to remove duplicate and ineligible entries.

Student organisations and Left groups have also called for an independent examination of alleged irregularities in voter lists and measures to protect eligible voters' rights.

The campaign follows earlier CJP-led demonstrations over alleged examination paper leaks. The October 10 protest sought to expand the movement's focus to electoral administration and the accountability of the poll panel.

Heavy security across Delhi as police block protesters

Delhi Police intensified security across central Delhi ahead of the demonstration, deploying personnel at barricades and key intersections and carrying out preventive detentions.

The police had denied permission for the CJP's planned gathering at Jantar Mantar, citing law and order concerns, public inconvenience and procedural requirements for applications to hold demonstrations at the venue.

CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke and fellow leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were detained shortly after their flight from Mumbai landed at Delhi airport. Police personnel boarded the aircraft to detain them before they could reach the protest site.

The CJP had named its organisation in-charge, Ajinkya Shinde, to lead the demonstration while the three leaders remained in detention.

Despite the restrictions, student activists, Left party workers and other supporters continued to mobilise at different locations. Police barricades and preventive action were aimed at stopping demonstrators from reaching Jantar Mantar.

Pinarayi Vijayan criticises crackdown

Pinarayi Vijayan criticised the police action and accused the BJP-led Centre and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) of undermining democratic institutions and citizens' voting rights.

In a post on X, Vijayan said, "When those in power fear the voice of the people democracy itself is under attack."

He added that repression would not extinguish people's resolve to defend their rights. Referring to the mobilisation in Delhi, Vijayan said protesters had gathered to defend the Constitution and the right to vote.

"Barricades may block the streets, but they cannot halt the march of democracy. No force can silence the people determined to defend their democratic rights," he said.

The CPI(M) condemned the detention of its leaders and workers, accusing the authorities of attempting to suppress peaceful dissent over the Election Commission's actions.

AAP leaders detained in Chandigarh

The protests also spread beyond Delhi, with Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders participating in demonstrations in Chandigarh against the SIR exercise and the detention of CJP leaders.

Those detained reportedly included former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, Baltej Punia and Sonia Mann.

AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal criticised the Centre over the security restrictions and described the crackdown as "worse than the Emergency".

In a post on X, Kejriwal alleged that the detention of CJP leaders aboard their flight demonstrated the government's fear of the protest movement. He also accused the government of suppressing dissent over alleged electoral irregularities.

These statements reflect the opposition's allegations; the government and Election Commission have rejected claims of political manipulation in the voter-list revision.

Why the CJP protest has drawn wider opposition support

The detention of activists, student leaders and senior Left politicians shows how the CJP's planned demonstration has attracted support beyond its own organisation. Opposition groups have linked the protest to wider concerns about voter-list revision, electoral transparency and the independence of constitutional institutions.

The SIR controversy centres on the process used to revise electoral rolls and the safeguards available to voters whose names may be removed. The Election Commission maintains that the exercise is intended to improve the accuracy of voter lists, while critics have demanded greater scrutiny of its implementation and potential effects on eligible voters.

The police action has added another dimension to the dispute: the balance between maintaining public order and protecting the right to peaceful assembly. The denial of permission for the Jantar Mantar demonstration and the preventive detentions have prompted criticism from opposition parties and activists.

The immediate developments to watch include whether detained leaders are released, whether protesters manage to assemble at the designated venue and whether the Election Commission or government responds to the demands for greater transparency in the SIR exercise.