Protesters marching from several parts of the city toward Jantar Mantar raised slogans along the way, but police moved to block their path at a number of points and took several people into custody. Video shared across social media platforms showed demonstrators being guided onto police buses, while several members of the press at the location — each of whom had their credentials visibly displayed — were detained alongside them.
The demonstrations formed one strand of a broader push by the Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP) and opposition parties to remove Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar from his post, with their stated concerns centring on the functioning of the Election Commission and the conduct of the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.
Activists affiliated with the Students' Federation of India, the All India Students' Association, and Krantikari Yuva Sangathan — joined by supporters of CJP — were taken into police custody as they made their way toward Jantar Mantar from various points, among them Connaught Place. Arrests continued past 6.30 pm, with individuals taken into custody from multiple locations across the city.
The SFI had organised a women's march around that hour, and the student body later claimed that a number of women who took part were held by police at Connaught Place. A petition alleged that women among those arrested had been held by male officers, and that any detention carried out after 6 pm contravened the law.
Through multiple social media posts, the group put forward claims that the vehicles — both vans and buses used to transport women who had been detained — held only male officers rather than any female police staff. The allegation further stated that a number of women were being detained inside unlit buses, with male police officers stationed around the vehicles.
Footage circulating across social media platforms captured a crowd moving through the Inner Circle of Connaught Place while chanting calls for Gyanesh Kumar to step down from his post. Voices in the assembled crowd pressed for his resignation, with calls repeating through the gathering.
Officers advanced on the crowd, working to break up the gathering. Gripped by officers on either side, a number of protesters were pulled toward idling buses, with footage showing some being hauled along the ground as they continued chanting.
Scattered gatherings formed at multiple points across the city throughout the day, with each group making its way toward Jantar Mantar at staggered intervals. Demonstrations and arrests unfolded at several locations, with Connaught Place and RK Ashram Marg drawing particular activity.
Police took into custody a group of AISA demonstrators who had set out from RK Ashram Marg metro station, while Neha Bora, who leads the organisation as its president, was held near Vijay Chowk later that afternoon. Footage captured Bora chanting slogans in the moments before officers advanced in her direction.
Officers detained her after she ran from them on foot. Two security personnel held her by the arms while others took hold of her legs, escorting her out of the area by physical means. Video captured her gripping the barriers while other demonstrators moved to block officers from detaining her.
According to the SFI, a large number of its members were picked up by authorities and brought to Surajmal Stadium in Nangloi. The organisation reported that its national president Adarsh M Saji, Delhi secretary Sooraj Elamon, and Central Executive Committee member Abhijith Manilal were among those taken into custody, along with a number of other individuals.
According to law enforcement sources, John Brittas — a Rajya Sabha member representing CPI(M) — was among those taken into custody. The organisation's office-bearers claimed they were beaten while held inside police transport vehicles that resembled enclosures. Demonstrators and campus organisations characterised the vehicles as detention-like in design, pointing to interior compartments divided by latched partitions and openings covered with wire mesh.
The organisation additionally claimed that Brittas was set upon by Delhi Police officers and subsequently left on the roadside with injuries. A further report stated that Biju Xavier, a priest serving as vicar at Sacred Heart Church in Delhi, was taken into custody by police while using his mobile phone to document what he described as officer misconduct.
According to the CJP, a number of demonstrators were taken into custody at locations including Rajiv Chowk metro station and Gurdwara Bangla Sahib. Video released by the party showed protesters forming a human chain before police intervened and detained several of them. According to the party, physicians and fellow demonstrators gathered in a non-violent capacity near Gurdwara Bangla Sahib were among those placed under arrest.
Footage circulating across social media platforms captured KYS members aboard boats near Nigambodh Ghat, holding placards and chanting calls for the chief election commissioner to step down. A group of KYS members also gathered in demonstration at Connaught Place.
Protests spread across multiple venues throughout the day, with the Revolutionary Workers Party of India counted among the organisations that took part.