Around 3500 detained in anti-CEC protests in Delhi, cops say detentions could last ‘up to 24 hours’
Around 3500 detained in anti-CEC protests in Delhi, cops say detentions could last ‘up to 24 hours’
New Delhi, Oct 10: Around 3,500 protesters have been detained and taken to various designated detention centres across Delhi in the wake of the ‘Jantar Mantar 2.0’ protest called by the Cockroach Janta Party against the alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise and to seek the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Among the detainees are CJP office-bearers, journalists, YouTubers, lawyers, activists, and leaders of opposition parties, including Aam Aadmi Party, Mamata All India Trinamool Congress and Communist Party of India (Marxist).
Delhi Police sources confirmed to ThePrint that detentions were being carried out on a massive scale to prevent protesters from reaching and congregating at the Jantar Mantar protest site.
Shortly after landing at the IGI Airport in Delhi, CJP’s Abhijeet Dipke, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were taken into preventive custody by the Delhi Police, while they were still inside the flight. Earlier in the day, YouTuber Dhruv Rathee and CJP’s legal cell chief Ratna Singh were also detained in Gurugram and Delhi, respectively.
All India Students’ Association (AISA) president Neha Bora and political activist Yogendra Yadav were also detained at Dilli Haat, where they were leading a demonstration.
Mass detentions
A large number of buses were deployed across Lutyens’ and Central Delhi Saturday, including prison vans ordinarily used to ferry undertrials between jails and courts. The vehicles were pressed into service to detain protesters as soon as they began gathering.
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Sources told ThePrint that CJP’s Dipke, Das and Ranka have been taken to separate detention facilities, with Dipke being held at Safdarjung.
Asked how long protesters could be kept in detention, a senior police officer said that these were preventive detentions based on intelligence inputs suggesting that participants could create law and order issues.
“The detentions can last up to 24 hours,” the officer said, adding that women and teens would be released before sunset. However, if they were to regroup, they could be detained again.
No FIR has been registered so far against CJP leaders or volunteers that would warrant their arrest, police sources said, maintaining that all those picked up had been placed under preventive detention.
Asked specifically about the detention of journalists and media personnel, a senior police officer said that only those found gathering in groups, raising slogans or actively participating in the protest had been detained.
“Each case will be examined individually. If a media person is found to have been genuinely carrying out journalistic duties, they will be released,” the officer said.
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Political leaders in custody
Meanwhile, a total of four former chief ministers, and several other political leaders, have been detained from various locations in the national capital.
Former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee and other Mamata All India Trinamool Congress MPs were taken into custody at South Avenue bus stand where they were staging a dharna. Party leader Derek O’Brien shared a video from inside a van on X, with the caption: “Mamata Banerjee being driven around for the last one hour along with 5 TMC MPs.”
Banerjee and party leaders stood at the bus stop earlier, holding placards and posters, which read, “Save Democracy, Save India”; “EC looted Bengal”; “Vote Loot: Bengal, Bihar and More”, and so on.
AAP and former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal was also detained, with party colleague Manish Sisodia held by the police earlier in the day.
Former Kerala CM, Pinarayi Vijayan, who was detained along with other CPI (M) MPs, posted a video clip on X with the caption: “Imagine being so scared of the opposition that you make the Delhi Police detain elected reps and drive them around in circles for an hour just to keep them quiet. Modi’s panic is really showing here, and honestly, it’s just embarrassing at this point. Such high-handed tactics are a blatant attack on our democratic rights, but we will not be intimidated.”
Also among the CPI(M) detainees was former Tripura chief minister Manik Sarkar.
“Then, they unlawfully forced our Chairperson and our MPs into a police van and are now taking them to an undisclosed location. Have you simply forgotten that India is a democratic country and every single person has the right to protest?” AITC said.
Economist Jean Drèze also participated in a demonstration in Delhi. He told media persons, “The reason why the government is so afraid is not that there is any risk of violence or any security risk, it is that the government is afraid that the people of this country will understand that their right to vote is being taken away.”–(ThePrint)