Opposition leaders and activists, including Arvind Kejriwal, Abhijeet Dipke and Mamata Banerjee among others were detained in Delhi on Saturday. (PTI Photos)
Opposition leaders and activists, including Arvind Kejriwal, Mamata Banerjee, Pinarayi Vijayan, Neha Bora, Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan, were detained in Delhi on Saturday as protests against the Election Commission ran into a near-lockdown. Roads to Jantar Mantar were barricaded, and Express reporters said no protester had reached it by about 1.20 pm. About 2,000 people had been detained across the capital by 2.49 pm.
After police detained at least 200 people heading to Jantar Mantar, activists urged supporters to regroup at Dilli Haat. AISA leader Neha Bora and Yogendra Yadav, who led the march from there, and Prashant Bhushan were detained. Mamata Banerjee and other Trinamool leaders were detained from outside her Delhi residence. Kejriwal and Delhi AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj were detained near Jantar Mantar, while Vijayan was taken to the Chhatrasal Stadium.
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This is The Indian Express live blog on the CJP protest in Delhi with reports from Alok Singh, Drishti Jain, Pragynesh, Mishal Mussaddique, Sakshi Chand, Sophiya Mathew, Abhimanyu Hazarika, Reva Thakkar, Akriti Kanodia, Nirbhay Thakur and Devansh Mittal who are in different parts of the capital, edited by Majid Alam and Malavika Jayadeep. Keep scrolling for the latest updates.
Earlier, Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leaders Abhijeet Dipke, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were detained inside an aircraft soon after it landed in Delhi and taken to different detention centres. Hours later, the CJP released a video announcing that Ajinkya Shinde would lead the protest at Jantar Mantar.
YouTuber Dhruv Rathee, who has about 33 million followers on YouTube, was detained from his home in Gurugram’s Sector 56, police sources said.
Around 25,000 police and paramilitary personnel are deployed, about 45 Metro stations face entry and exit restrictions, and more than 250 trains were cancelled till 2 pm. At least 1,200 people were detained overnight, police sources told The Indian Express.
In a statement, the CJP condemned the alleged detentions, calling them a pre-planned move to stop its leaders from reaching the protest site. It described the action as a violation of freedom of movement and demanded their immediate and unconditional release.
The party has accused the CEC of presiding over voter-list manipulation during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, and over changes relating to Form 6, which is used for voter registration.
Delhi Police had earlier denied permission for the protest, citing security concerns, inadequate notice and violations of conditions during previous demonstrations. The application was filed on October 7, against a prescribed 10-day notice period.
Live Updates
Manish Sisodia detained by Punjab police during protest against CEC Gyanesh Kumar
AAP leader Manish Sisodia was detained earlier today by Punjab police during protest against CEC Gyanesh Kumar in Chandigarh.
VIDEO | Chandigarh: AAP leader Manish Sisodia detained by Punjab police during protest against CEC Gyanesh Kumar. #cecgyaneshkumar #chandigarh #aap (Full video available on PTI Videos – https://t.co/d8jp61yd2p) https://t.co/a9OTpFjDBK
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) October 10, 2026
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