Upwards of 500 people were taken into custody by police at Jantar Mantar on Friday, where a gathering had assembled to call for the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Supporters of the Cockroach Janta Party gathered at Shivaji Park in Mumbai for a demonstration that grew tense, resulting in police detaining a number of those present.
A gathering in Delhi took shape under the banner of opposition parties, student groups, and various civil society organisations. Complaints were raised over modifications to voter lists carried out under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process, with the Election Commission's conduct of that exercise also drawn into question amid assertions of widespread procedural irregularities and the removal of registered voters from the rolls.
Calls for Kumar's removal from office and subsequent arrest came from the Aam Aadmi Party alongside several other opposition groups. Doubts about the accuracy of voter rolls and the electoral body's impartiality have been raised persistently by opposition groups and civil society organisations.
No authorisation for the gathering had been extended by Delhi Police to any of the groups involved. Under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) — the provision that took over from the former Section 144 — authorities placed the New Delhi district under an order prohibiting assemblies, marches, sit-in demonstrations, chanting of slogans, and protest activity.
Barricades went up on approach roads to Jantar Mantar, while uniformed officers and paramilitary units took up positions across the central parts of the city. Mobile internet access across roughly a 1.5-kilometre zone around the Jantar Mantar protest site was cut off until midnight, according to multiple accounts, though those accounts carried no official confirmation.
Officials described the policy steps as designed to uphold community welfare and keep civil order intact. When demonstrators moved to push past the barriers in violation of Section 163, physical confrontations with officers broke out along the line.
Among those loaded onto buses and transported to police stations were AAP figures Atishi Marlena, who previously served as Delhi Chief Minister, and Saurabh Bharadwaj. Footage capturing the altercations and arrests spread broadly across social media platforms.
Troops assigned to the zone had not stood down. Barricades put in place by Mumbai Police closed off Shivaji Park ahead of a 4 pm gathering called by the CJP over the same matter, with the venue carrying a designated Silence Zone status that authorities cited as grounds for keeping demonstrators out.
Demonstrators chanted and pushed against the barriers, leading to a physical clash with officers on the ground. Lines of vehicles backed up along the roads flanking the park, leading officials to send additional officers into the area. Authorities took a number of demonstrators into custody and reinforced their presence throughout the surrounding area.
