SOURCE :- SIASAT NEWS
New Delhi: The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) is set to hold a youth-led protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on Saturday, October 10, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in electoral rolls. The party has also called for wider reforms in the functioning of the Election Commission of India.
The Delhi protest follows a rally at Mumbai’s Shivaji Park on October 2, where thousands gathered despite police restrictions. After that rally, CJP founder and convener Abhijeet Dipke said that if Kumar did not step down, “cockroaches from across India” would march to Delhi. He has said the agitation will be peaceful, and that if Delhi Police stop the protesters, “wherever they stop us will become our Jantar Mantar.”
The build-up has been tense. Dipke alleged on Tuesday, October 6, that Maharashtra Police served notices on CJP volunteers, including in Chandrapur, asking them to stay away from the protest and questioning their travel funding. Police have reportedly described the notices as preventive. Dipke, spokesperson Saurav Das and co-convenor Ashutosh Ranka have also claimed they could be arrested before the protest, though no such order has been publicly confirmed.
The party says it informed Delhi Police about the gathering by submitting a letter at the Parliament Street police station. However, Delhi Police have denied permission for the protest and placed the capital under heavy security.
The Delhi Police has also restricted access to Jantar Mantar and even media personnel have been denied entry to the protest site.
‘Suspicious’ youth detained, stadiums become detention centre
8:40 am: Delhi Police have reportedly detained at least 10 students ahead of the CJP protest, the first detentions of the day. CJP co-convenor Ashutosh Ranka claimed on Friday, October 9, that thousands of volunteers had been picked up in different states while heading to Delhi, and videos shared by CJP accounts purportedly show police detaining young people on trains bound for the capital.
The Delhi police have reportedly shortlisted three stadiums in the city to be turned into detention centres for those attempting to participate in the protest, HT reported.
Delhi Police at Jantar Mantar given body cams
8:20 am: Delhi Police personnel have been fitted with body cameras, which can also record in low light, as part of the security arrangements for Saturday’s CJP protest. An officer told news agency ANI that the cameras are meant to protect both police and the public, and would settle allegations of manhandling that are often levelled against the force. “This will record everything,” the officer said.
Around 7,000 protesters are expected to arrive in the national capital on Saturday, with senior officers directing personnel to exercise maximum restraint and handle the situation professionally.
Unprecedented security blanket
6:00 am: Around 25,000 police and paramilitary personnel have been deployed, with more than 120 companies of Central Armed Police Forces assisting, and the New Delhi district has been divided into 20 zones for monitoring. Entry and exit gates at 45 Delhi Metro stations, including Rajiv Chowk, Central Secretariat, Mandi House and Supreme Court, have been shut since Friday night, and several trains to and from New Delhi and Hazrat Nizamuddin stations have reportedly been cancelled.
Police are checking vehicles at the city’s borders and inspecting hotels and lodges, and are reportedly scrutinising more than 200 content creators over posts linked to the protest. Liquor shops across the city will stay closed on Saturday.
Traffic restrictions in Delhi
8:10 am Stringent traffic restrictions came into force across Delhi from 6 am on Saturday, with diversions at key points including Connaught Place, Mandi House, Patel Chowk and the Ashoka Road-Jantar Mantar Road roundabout, according to Delhi Traffic Police. Large numbers of police personnel manned barricades and checked some vehicles, though traffic was reportedly moving smoothly early in the morning.
Entry and exit gates at several metro stations have been closed since 9 pm on Friday, and a 24-hour mobile internet suspension in central Delhi took effect at 10 pm on Friday. Commuters have been advised to avoid non-essential travel, and police said the restrictions would be tightened or relaxed based on real-time assessment of the situation.
SOURCE : SIASAT
