Demonstrations against the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls have reached an international dimension, with gatherings in London drawing participants from both the Congress Janta Party and the BJP into opposing positions. Demonstrations across the national capital have taken a financial toll on local commerce, with traders putting their combined revenue losses at roughly Rs 3,000 crore. Protests over the SIR matter have kept Delhi's streets active across multiple days, with the dispute drawing no sign of resolution at the political level.
Demonstrations of backing for both the CJP and the BJP spilled beyond national borders, with adherents of each side assembling in London to voice their respective stances. Video creator Dhruv Rathee, known for backing the CJP's campaign in India, travelled to London and took part in the demonstrations there. Members of SFI UK gathered in front of the Indian High Commission to voice their opposition to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Chants calling for the release of Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam rang out among those gathered at the demonstration. Partisans backing the BJP converged on the scene and voiced their support for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with gatherings from both groups unfolding at the same spot.
A Delhi court extended conditional bail to Abhijeet Dipke, the founder of the Cockroach Janta Party, following his detention on 16 October during efforts to organise the 'Lehra Do Tiranga' march at Central Park in Connaught Place. On 16 October, officers detained Dipke while he was in the process of organising the march at Central Park in Connaught Place, Delhi. Authorities placed him under preventive custody shortly after he walked out of his home. About a day after leaving, Dipke returned.
A court appearance at the SEM facility within Mandir Marg Police Station was scheduled for him on 17 October. Bail on conditional terms was extended to him by the court, which required a peace undertaking lasting twelve months alongside a surety bond valued at Rs 50,000. No remand order was issued, and he walked free from the proceedings. Ranka and Das — both counted among his close associates — were remanded to Tihar Jail by the court.
A procession organised by multiple women's groups and student bodies wound through the streets to the gates of Delhi Police Headquarters. Among those who took part in the rally were Annie Raja of the Communist Party of India, joined by a number of other Left-aligned leaders and activists. Demonstrators claimed that women taking part in protests against SIR had been subjected to baton strikes and physical force by officers, though those accounts have not been independently verified. A call went out for the authorities to pursue accountability through formal legal channels against those found to be at fault.
On 17 October, the Congress — a party that had taken part in SIR protest activity in the days beforehand — held no mass demonstration. Neither Rahul Gandhi nor Priyanka Gandhi, along with other senior figures within the Congress party, joined any street-level demonstrations on that occasion. No street demonstrations on a large scale are expected from the Congress party or the INDIA bloc before the Diwali period draws near. A gathering at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi has been placed on the group's calendar for 1 November as the centrepiece of their upcoming activities.
Student wings linked to the Congress party are anticipated to keep up smaller-scale protests, while state-level party branches across various regions have received instructions to mount opposition to the SIR. Party leaders and workers have been put on standby at Gandhi's direction, with the understanding that crowds could be assembled in the capital should the political climate call for it.
Trade body figures from the Chamber of Trade and Industry put the financial toll on Delhi vendors from the disruptions and movement curbs at roughly Rs 3,000 crore. Trade body chairman Brijesh Goyal put the financial toll from the October 10 walkout at roughly Rs 2,000 crore, with a separate round of stoppages running from October 13 through 16 adding an estimated Rs 1,000 crore on top of that figure. Trade body figures put potential revenue losses at above Rs 10,000 crore should street protests and movement restrictions remain in place through the Diwali period.
Upwards of 700 trading areas throughout Delhi — among them Sadar Bazaar, Chandni Chowk, Karol Bagh, and Connaught Place — are said to have felt the impact. Of the losses put forward, roughly Rs 1,800 crore falls under the retail trade category, placing it ahead of all other sectors in proportion. Estimated losses across the wholesale trade stand at Rs 600 crore, with hotels, restaurants, and service providers together accounting for a further Rs 300 crore in reported financial damage. Estimated financial damage across the transport, auto-taxi, and tourism industries stands at roughly Rs 180 crore, with daily-wage earners and small-scale enterprises projected to absorb a further Rs 120 crore in losses.
According to CTI, venues spanning hospitality, entertainment, and personal care — among them hotels, restaurants, cinema halls, salons, and gyms — recorded a drop in footfall alongside a wave of booking cancellations. Reduced customer numbers at shops and hold-ups in the movement of goods were both linked by traders to the shutting of metro lines, blocked roads, and backed-up traffic.
The trade body CTI has put forward a request that authorities temporarily limit protests in key commercial zones through the Diwali period, designate alternative venues where demonstrators can gather, and extend some form of support to vendors whose businesses have been disrupted. The organisation has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, requesting that he take action on the disruption the protests are causing to traders in Delhi.
