Delhi Police detained several individuals near Janpath in the Connaught Place district of the capital on Saturday, as the Cockroach Janata Party held a gathering it had branded 'Jantar Mantar 2.0', through which the party sought the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar from office.

After withholding authorisation for the planned assembly at Jantar Mantar, Delhi Police directed its units to take into custody any person found attempting to hold a demonstration, regardless of location. A force of over 35,000 personnel — drawn from Delhi Police and paramilitary units — was positioned at locations throughout the capital as part of the security operation.

Organisers behind the planned demonstration stated their aim was to bring scrutiny to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, alongside questions raised about broader irregularities in the voting process. Attendance at the October 10 rally directed at Kumar was projected by the party to reach into the thousands.

On Friday, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke stated that neither detention nor arrest would lead him to step back from the protest. Through a video shared on social media, Dipke called on the public to turn out in high numbers while keeping the gathering orderly and calm. Dipke had a flight to Delhi booked for Saturday morning, though it remained unclear to him whether any arrest would come at the airport or at some point after his arrival.

Four demands formed the core of his address — that elections proceed free from outside interference, that Kumar vacate his position, that the SIR exercise be brought to a close, and that an independent body oversee the appointment of Election Commissioners. He told those gathered that neither detention nor arrest held any power over him, and that his sole request was for them to press on, whatever fate might befall him.

Dipke told those present that the authorities were free to deploy the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the National Security Act, or any other legal instrument they chose to bring against him. He argued that three conditions were needed before genuinely free elections could be held: Kumar's departure from office, the withdrawal of the SIR, and the appointment of Election Commissioners through a process free from partisan interference. Beyond those procedural demands, he maintained that what hung in the balance was the continued viability of democratic governance itself.

Supporters were urged to gather at Delhi's Jantar Mantar the following day, with organisers calling for attendance in substantial numbers. Those gathered were urged to conduct themselves as orderly, law-abiding members of the public. Dipke rejected any attempt to label the group as thugs or enforcers, maintaining that such terms had no connection to what the group actually represented.

In response to the planned mobilisation, the Union Home Ministry issued directives to states and Union Territories calling for reinforced security measures and closer coordination with Delhi Police. A letter from Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan reached police chiefs across all states and Union Territories, directing them to put preventive arrangements in place given apprehensions that CJP members and supporters might attempt to reach the national capital despite the permission refusal.

The correspondence pointed to potential public-order concerns surrounding the planned assembly by the Cockroach Janta Party at Jantar Mantar on 10 October 2026, and noted that Delhi Police had, the previous day, turned down the party's application to hold the event. The letter, as carried by a news channel, conveyed that the writer sought to bring urgent attention to the public-order implications tied to the proposed gathering. The statement noted that, once the party's application had been turned down, the planned gathering was barred from taking place.

Orders went out from police authorities barring CAPF units from drawing weapons ahead of any deployment tied to the protest. Police personnel deployed at the scene held permission to carry lathis and batons, with standing orders keeping them from engaging protesters in verbal exchanges.

Six venues were designated to receive those taken into custody during the protests — Chhatrasal Stadium, Rajiv Gandhi Stadium, Yamuna Sports Complex, Surajmal Stadium, and community centres located in Daulatpur and Pandrawal respectively. Personnel drawn from Uttar Pradesh and Haryana — women officers among them — were deployed to bolster the existing contingent. Facial recognition technology, aerial drone units, rooftop observation posts, and an expanded network of CCTV installations were all put into operation throughout the Central Delhi area.

The CJP's planned march unfolded against a backdrop of Opposition-led pushback over the SIR process, with separate questions about the conduct of elections also circulating at the time. A memorandum carrying four demands tied to allegations of voting irregularities was placed before President Droupadi Murmu by INDIA bloc delegates who assembled at her office on Friday evening.

Heading the delegation were Mallikarjun Kharge, who holds the presidency of the Congress party, and Rahul Gandhi, who occupies the post of Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha. Among the remaining members sat Mamata Banerjee of Trinamool Congress, alongside Samajwadi Party's Rajiv Rai, Supriya Sule representing the NCP, and Omar Abdullah from the National Conference. Among the Left's delegates were CPI(M) functionary MA Baby and D Raja, who holds a senior position within the CPI. Also present were Tejashwi Yadav and Manoj Jha, both from the RJD, alongside Thol. Thirumavalavan, who heads the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi.

Speaking after the meeting, Gandhi noted that the President had neither dismissed the Opposition's claims nor turned the delegation away empty-handed, instead requesting that they furnish documentary evidence of the alleged voting irregularities. According to Banerjee, the President told the visiting delegation that she would look into the matter and requested that they provide documentary evidence in support of their complaints.

Opposition MPs had already moved against both the SIR exercise and what they described as electoral malpractice before the gathering took place. Questions about security arrangements, Metro station closures, and internet restrictions in the capital were among the matters the MPs put forward for consideration. Delhi Police, in its own account, stated that no authorisation had been issued for the demonstration scheduled on October 10.