Delhi under siege

The Indian central government itself has effectively placed the capital, New Delhi, under siege to prevent the “cockroaches” from gathering. Strict restrictions have been imposed on various modes of transport in Delhi, including trains and the metro. Barricades have been set up at several key points. Students and their families are being warned through door-to-door visits. The police and administration have launched an extensive operation to ensure that no one can take to the streets today, Saturday, to join the ‘Remove Gyanesh’ campaign against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.

The Supreme Court of India has expressed dissatisfaction with the Narendra Modi government’s hardline stance. On Friday, a bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant told the central government that a hammer should not be used to kill a fly. The court said there was no justification for keeping 57 Delhi Metro stations closed to prevent the protest. Nor could train services to and from railway stations be suspended for 10 consecutive hours. Train services and traffic within the city must be regulated in a way that does not inconvenience ordinary people, the court said.

Leaders of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), including its leader Abhijit Dipke, have announced on social media that popular YouTuber Dhruv Rathee will participate in ‘Jantar Mantar 2.0’ on 10 October. Rathee, who has travelled to India to join the protest, has also said, “This is a fight to save democracy. Do not forget to come to Delhi on the 10th.”

On 8 October, popular South Indian actor Prakash Raj, who was alongside Dhruv in Bengaluru, made sure to deliver his message: “Ali re ali, Gyanesh, your time is up; now it is your turn to go.” Yet uncertainty persists. Everyone is asking the same question: Will the Delhi Police allow Dhruv Rathee and others, along with CJP leaders including Abhijit Dipke, to take to the streets of Delhi today, Saturday? Or will they be arrested before they get the chance?

The doubts and suspicions are not entirely unfounded. Thousands of Gen Z youths have been detained in various states to prevent them from travelling to Delhi. Ashutosh Ranka, the party’s joint convenor, has alleged that police in BJP-ruled states have already detained 10,000 CJP workers and supporters. In a post on X last Thursday, he wrote that members of various student organisations, political parties and CJP supporters had been detained.

Reuters reported that police were providing no information about why students were being detained in various locations or where they were being taken in vans.

Abhijit Dipke, convenor of the Cockroach Janata Party, wrote on social media late last night, “We will go ahead with the Jantar Mantar march, whatever happens.” Addressing Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the same post, he said, “You can put us in jail or shoot us; we are ready. We will not back down because of your mentally deranged behaviour.”

Dipke said Rajasthan Police had severely beaten their chief spokesperson, Deepak Baliyan, and his brother. He said they were being held in custody.

The police are leaving no stone unturned to prevent today’s ‘Jantar Mantar 2.0’ march. In addition to 20,000 Delhi Police personnel, 23,000 members of paramilitary forces have been kept ready. Five companies of armed female police personnel have also been brought in. CRPF personnel have been flown in from Jammu and Kashmir, West Bengal and Chhattisgarh.

Hundreds of buses have been brought to the capital from Delhi and neighbouring states to transport detained protesters. Ten stadiums have been identified in different areas, including the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Bawana, Delhi, to hold protesters in custody. Preparations are being made to detain them there for several days if necessary. Internet services in the Jantar Mantar area were suspended for 24 hours from 10:00 pm last night. Internet services had also been suspended during earlier protests by the INDIA bloc and the CJP.

To ensure that Gen Z protesters cannot reach Delhi from outside the city on Friday and Saturday, a decision has been taken to suspend all train services for 10 hours, from 4:00 am to 2:00 pm on Saturday. No trains will depart from or arrive at New Delhi, Old Delhi or Nizamuddin railway stations during this period.

Special police surveillance arrangements have also been made at every railway station. The movement of numerous trains at these stations is being regulated from morning until afternoon. The aim is to prevent people from neighbouring districts from reaching Delhi in response to the CJP’s call. Similar measures are being taken along Delhi’s borders with Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.

Farmer leaders in Uttar Pradesh have expressed support for the CJP’s protest and said they would join it. The police are taking measures to prevent the farmers from participating.

A decision has been taken to close a total of 57 metro stations from 9:00 pm last night until the situation returns to normal. The movement of app-based rental cars is also being restricted. The aim is to prevent the “cockroaches” from reaching Lutyens’ Delhi from other parts of the capital. An order has been issued to close all liquor shops in Delhi on Friday and Saturday.

These are not the only precautionary measures. Since yesterday, Delhi Police have been conducting raids at hotels, hostels, university premises and houses where people stay as paying guests. Everyone has been warned not to accommodate young people coming from outside the city. Hotel owners in Delhi’s Paharganj area have been told not to accept any new bookings for these two days.

There have also been allegations that students and their family members in various states are being contacted and intimidated. A senior police officer has warned people on social media not to act recklessly, keeping their future in mind. Imams are being asked to tell people at mosques to stay at home and not join the protest. The police have even visited mosques to issue such instructions, and videos of these visits have circulated on social media.

The government has observed that major newspapers and state-run media outlets are no longer as effective as they once were in shaping public opinion in favour of those in power. People are increasingly influenced by social media, YouTubers and reel makers. Their influence was clearly visible during the CJP’s first sit-in at Jantar Mantar. This time, Delhi Police are particularly active in trying to stop them.

Social media-based journalists have been told that every such ‘citizen journalist’ must wear an identity card visibly around their neck. They have been warned not to do anything in the name of live streaming that could obstruct the police. Everyone must comply with police restrictions, or they could face trouble. On Saturday, the police will not allow even a single unauthorised person to proceed towards Jantar Mantar.

In a video message last night, Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) leader Abhijit Dipke said that the fight was for free and fair elections in India. He said this would not be possible until Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar resigned and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls was stopped. He would go to Jantar Mantar in the morning. Even if he was detained or arrested there, the movement would not stop.

The movement demanding the resignation of India’s Chief Election Commissioner began towards the end of last month, following the publication of an investigative report by The Indian Express. The report revealed that two Election Commissioners had repeatedly raised concerns with the Chief Election Commissioner over electoral roll revisions, registration procedures and digital systems in India. However, he had not given their concerns due importance.

Following the publication of the report, opposition parties, including the Congress, launched protests demanding the Chief Election Commissioner’s resignation, accusing the BJP of stealing votes. At one stage, the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) took to the streets with the same demand.

After weeks of protests led by young people under the CJP banner, former education minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who had served under Modi, was forced to resign last July. At the time, thousands of young people had gathered at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi to protest and demand the education minister’s resignation over the leak of question papers for medical admission tests.

This time, too, their movement demanding the Chief Election Commissioner’s resignation has drawn nationwide attention. Alongside the CJP, the INDIA bloc of opposition parties led by the Congress has also been holding continuous programmes demanding his resignation.

Several opposition representatives, led by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, visited Rashtrapati Bhavan in Delhi last night and conveyed their demands to President Droupadi Murmu. They alleged that the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was keeping the BJP in power by stealing votes.

Criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Neha Bora, a leader of AISA, the student organisation of the CPI (ML) Liberation, wrote in a post on X yesterday that the position of a cowardly dictator hiding behind the mask of democracy had now been exposed to everyone.

Neha, who has become a familiar face through her participation in the protests at Jantar Mantar, said the movement could not be suppressed in this way. In another video message circulated on social media yesterday, she said the government had openly imposed a state of emergency in the country.

“This is exactly how the British government prepared to crush the Quit India Movement. They went from house to house arresting leaders. But that did not stop the Quit India Movement. This time, too, it will not work. History repeats itself,” she said.