Upwards of 35,000 officers drawn from Delhi Police and paramilitary units took up positions across the capital in advance of a planned protest, with authorities placing the city under a heightened security footing. Several people were detained by police near Janpath in the Connaught Place area of New Delhi on Saturday, as the Cockroach Janta Party held a gathering it had named 'Jantar Mantar 2.0', calling for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Guidance went out from the Union Home Secretary to states and Union Territories, calling on each to put precautionary steps in place and keep public order intact. A formal written directive from Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan called on police chiefs nationwide to work alongside Delhi Police and put precautionary steps in place. Instructions from the home ministry asked states and Union Territories to put stronger security measures in place ahead of the planned mobilisation.
Protesters gathered to press for answers over how the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls was conducted. Citizens for Justice and Peace put out a call for people to gather at Jantar Mantar on 10th October, at a time when Delhi Police had not authorised the assembly. The phrase 'Jantar Mantar 2.0' functions as a shorthand label, drawing a parallel between the current gathering and the earlier protests held at Jantar Mantar.
Participants described plans to unite in renewed opposition to Gyanesh Kumar. The party's Instagram post indicated that attendance in the thousands was anticipated. A range of student bodies and political organisations were anticipated to take part in the rally, with female officers deployed from Uttar Pradesh and Haryana set to join the security arrangements for the event scheduled for 10 October.
Orders went out to Delhi Police units after the announcement, directing officers to take into custody any person who moved to organise or join a protest, wherever that person happened to be. Orders went out to CAPF formations barring the release of weapons for any deployment tied to the demonstration, with formal correspondence dispatched to the relevant directorates covering the allocation arrangements. Police personnel deployed at this gathering were equipped with lathis and batons, a measure that was not in place during the earlier INDIA bloc demonstration.
Officers were directed to refrain from verbal exchanges with demonstrators after police noted what they characterised as organised efforts to capture and distribute footage intended to cast personnel in an unfavourable light. Six venues were earmarked to receive those taken into custody: Chhatrasal Stadium, Rajiv Gandhi Stadium, Yamuna Sports Complex, Surajmal Stadium, the Daulatpur Community Centre, and the Pandrawal Community Centre.
Facial recognition technology at several points, an expanded network of surveillance cameras, personnel stationed on rooftops, and unmanned aerial vehicles were all anticipated to be positioned throughout the central districts of Delhi.
On Friday, Abhijeet Dipke of CJP stated that neither detention nor arrest would lead him to withdraw from the protest. Through a video shared on X, Dipke called on the public to turn out in high numbers while keeping the atmosphere orderly and calm. Departing Mumbai on Saturday morning, he indicated uncertainty about whether an arrest would come at the airport or at some point after his arrival.
Among the party's stated positions are calls for electoral transparency, the removal of Gyanesh Kumar from his post, an end to the SIR exercise, and a reformed process for appointing Election Commissioners. Dipke told supporters that the prospect of detention or arrest held no fear for him, while reaffirming that the party's efforts were directed at securing free and fair elections. Three conditions formed the core of his position: the CEC stepping down, the SIR exercise being withdrawn, and a neutral, independent mechanism put in place for appointing Election Commissioners.
Dipke addressed the assembled crowd, calling for calm and lawful conduct throughout the event, while describing the gathering as an effort to preserve democratic governance. Addressing those gathered, he urged supporters to attend the demonstration at Delhi's Jantar Mantar the following day in substantial numbers, while also calling on them to avoid any conduct that might weaken the protest's standing.
An advisory raised the prospect that supporters of CJP could attempt to travel to the capital, despite no permission having been given for any assembly there. The correspondence cited a Delhi Police directive, dated 9 October, under which the party's application to convene the gathering had not been authorised, and noted that a planned large-scale assembly by the Cockroach Janta Party at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi, on 10 October 2026 raised concerns relating to law and order as well as public order. The statement further noted that, once the application had been turned down, the planned gathering was no longer permitted to proceed. No authorisation for the October 10 demonstration was in place, according to a position put forward by Delhi Police.
INDIA bloc representatives travelled to Rashtrapati Bhavan on Friday evening, handing President Droupadi Murmu a written document setting out four demands tied to what the coalition has characterised as vote theft. Questions about how the Election Commission of India carries out its functions were put forward by a delegation that included Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, who holds the position of Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha.
Ten members of the Opposition gathered before reporters after the private meeting concluded, laying out the substance of what the group had put forward. Among those making up the group were Mamata Banerjee of Trinamool Congress, Rajiv Rai from the Samajwadi Party, Supriya Sule representing the NCP, and Omar Abdullah of the National Conference. Among the left-leaning parties, MA Baby of the CPI(M) and D Raja of the CPI took up delegate positions at the gathering. Among those present were Tejashwi Yadav and Manoj Jha, both senior figures within the RJD, together with Thol. Thirumavalavan, who leads the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi.
Following the meeting, Gandhi contended that the President had neither addressed the Opposition's concerns nor engaged with them on the substance of the matter, instead directing the delegation to furnish documentation supporting the claims of electoral irregularities. According to Banerjee, the President told the delegation she would look into the matter and requested that the Opposition provide supporting evidence.
Opposition MPs had raised objections to the SIR exercise and put forward allegations of electoral malpractice before the gathering took place. Objections from the MPs extended to the handling of Metro station closures, internet restrictions, and security arrangements across the capital, with both the Centre and the Delhi administration drawing their scrutiny.
