Delhi Police detained about 2,000 people across Delhi by Saturday afternoon as they blocked a planned protest at Jantar Mantar, The Indian Express reported.
Opposition leaders Arvind Kejriwal, Mamata Banerjee and Pinarayi Vijayan were among those detained, along with activists Neha Bora, Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan, according to The Indian Express.
Roads to the protest site were barricaded. Express reporters said no demonstrator had reached Jantar Mantar by about 1:20 p.m. The newspaper put the detention count at about 2,000 in its 2:49 p.m. update.
The Cockroach Janta Party, or CJP, called the demonstration to demand Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation and oppose the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. Police had refused permission earlier in the week, citing security concerns and procedural requirements.
Many people were stopped before they got near Jantar Mantar. Police took them in buses and vans to stadiums and other temporary detention facilities, The Indian Express reported.
YouTuber Dhruv Rathee was detained at his residence in Gurugram’s Sector 56 before joining the protest, police sources told the Press Trust of India.
The CJP demanded the “immediate and unconditional release” of Rathee and other detainees. It accused the government of silencing people protesting alleged electoral-roll irregularities.
Three of the group’s leaders — Abhijeet Dipke, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka — were detained inside their aircraft after landing in Delhi, according to CJP and Indian media reports. The reports also identified the group’s legal affairs head, Ratna Singh, among those held.
Dipke recorded a video statement from inside the plane, comparing the police action to India’s Emergency period. Das accused authorities of using force to stop a constitutional movement.
Near INA market, police detained CPI(ML) Liberation General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, AISA president Neha, Yadav and Bhushan, PTI reported. They had been marching with other activists toward Safdarjung Flyover.
Indian media outlets also reported that Left leaders Brinda Karat, K.K. Shailaja and M.V. Govindan were detained.
Accounts of how many people were held differed substantially. The Indian Express had reported at least 1,000 overnight detentions. Police told ANI that approximately 500 people arriving in groups had been detained.
The Hindu journalists Ishita Mishra and Saurabh Trivedi reported a higher figure: about 4,800 overnight detentions, followed by another 70 near Jantar Mantar on Saturday morning. The counts could not be independently reconciled, and the reports did not establish whether they covered the same periods or groups.
Reporters covering the protest were caught up in the police operation as well. Scroll executive editor Supriya Sharma said journalist Ayush Tiwari was detained despite showing his press card. The Quint posted footage of journalists in detention buses.
Newslaundry reported that police took three of its reporters into custody and seized phones they were using for their work. The organization said the reporters had identified themselves as journalists.
