New Delhi: Thousands of protesters were detained across Delhi on Saturday, October 10, as police moved to prevent a proposed demonstration against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar at Jantar Mantar. Despite extensive security restrictions, protesters continued to gather at several locations across the national capital.

Those detained included four former chief ministers — Pinarayi Vijayan, Mamata Banerjee, Arvind Kejriwal and Manik Sarkar — along with youth and student activists and leaders of several political parties, according to reports.

Police detained protesters at multiple locations, including near Regal Cinema, Minto Bridge, Akashwani Bhawan and other parts of central Delhi. Crowds were also reported near ITO, the Safdarjung flyover and Dilli Haat, despite restrictions imposed ahead of the proposed demonstration.

The police had denied permission for the protest and deployed personnel at strategic locations, particularly along routes leading to Jantar Mantar and other sensitive areas. Metro station closures, surveillance drones and restrictions on movement formed part of the measures aimed at preventing protesters from assembling.

Police sources said more than 600 people with criminal records had also been detained across Delhi’s districts as a preventive measure to avert potential law-and-order problems. Authorities were monitoring the movements of individuals suspected of mobilising crowds, while surveillance had been intensified around certain residences, according to the reports.

Special Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Devesh Srivastava said elaborate security arrangements had been made, with police pickets established near Delhi’s borders in coordination with neighbouring states. Senior officers and community policing teams had also been deployed.

“The situation is under control,” Srivastava told PTI, adding that people heading towards Jantar Mantar were being detained because permission for the demonstration had not been granted. Police appealed to citizens not to participate in the protest and urged them to comply with the prohibitory orders in force in New Delhi.

The proposed demonstration, called by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), centres on allegations of voter-list manipulation during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and changes relating to Form 6, which is used for voter registration.

Despite the preventive measures and large-scale detentions, protesters remained determined to press ahead with the demonstration, with gatherings reported at multiple points across the capital.