500 detained before Delhi Protest demanding CEC’s resignation, over 40,000 security personnel deployed

The administration has imposed unprecedented security restrictions in Delhi ahead of Saturday’s (October 10) protest demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Barricades have been erected across several key areas of the national capital, while entry and exit gates at 45 metro stations have been closed. Mobile internet services have been suspended for 24 hours across a large area of central Delhi. Several trains arriving in and departing from the capital have also been cancelled.

Protesters argue that they have the right to question the Election Commission’s functioning and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The administration, meanwhile, has defended the restrictions as necessary to maintain law and order.

According to a report by Scroll, Delhi Police began detaining protesters from various locations even before the demonstration could begin on Saturday morning. Police claimed that approximately 500 people had been detained across the city.

The protest was called by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and left-wing student organisations, with farmers’ organisations and the Aam Aadmi Party also extending their support. The principal demand is the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

45 Metro stations affected, hundreds of trains cancelled

Multiple restrictions have been imposed on Delhi’s transport network to prevent the protest from taking place.

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) announced that entry and exit gates at 45 metro stations would remain closed from 9 pm on Friday until 6 pm on Saturday. However, interchange facilities were to remain operational at the affected stations, except New Delhi station.

The initial plan had been to close 57 metro stations. The decision was subsequently revised following the intervention of the Supreme Court.

According to Scroll, at least 245 trains scheduled to depart from or arrive in Delhi have been cancelled. Several other trains have had their schedules changed, raising concerns about widespread disruption for passengers. Those travelling to the capital for work or other commitments face considerable uncertainty.

Mobile internet services have also been suspended in central Delhi. The restrictions were scheduled to remain in force from 10 pm on Friday until 10 pm on Saturday within a four-kilometre radius of the Janpath–Kartavya Path intersection.

The affected area includes prominent locations such as Jantar Mantar and Connaught Place, as well as several government offices.

Since Thursday night, Delhi Police had been announcing restrictions under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), prohibiting assemblies of four or more people. Police denied permission for the protest at Jantar Mantar.

The organisers, however, maintain that peaceful protest is a constitutional right.

Nearly 500 detained, over 40,000 security personnel deployed

According to Scroll, protesters were detained from areas around Jantar Mantar and Connaught Place. Citing police figures, the publication reported that approximately 500 people had been taken into custody.

Those detained reportedly included popular YouTuber Dhruv Rathee.

Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke appealed to protesters to continue their demonstration peacefully. He also urged them not to abandon the movement despite the detention of its leaders.

Barricades have been erected on major roads across Delhi, while vehicles and commuters entering the city are being subjected to checks.

According to Hindustan Times, extensive deployment of central armed police forces was planned as part of the security arrangements. Officials were also instructed to ensure that ordinary commuters faced as little disruption as possible.

More than 40,000 personnel from Delhi Police and the Central Armed Police Forces were deployed across the capital for the protest, Hindustan Times reported.

Supreme Court intervenes over transport restrictions

On Friday, October 9, a Supreme Court bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant intervened over the proposed closure of metro and railway services in Delhi.

The court directed the authorities to ensure that public transport continued to operate in a regulated manner, minimising inconvenience to the public.

While restrictions could be imposed to maintain law and order, the court observed that this did not mean that the entire transport network should be shut down.

Following the intervention, the original proposal to close 57 metro stations was revised, with entry and exit restrictions imposed at 45 stations instead.

SIR controversy at the heart of the protest

The demonstration comes amid a prolonged controversy over the Election Commission’s functioning and the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.

Opposition parties have alleged that the SIR process risks excluding genuine voters from electoral rolls. Protesters have also questioned the neutrality of the Election Commission and demanded that Gyanesh Kumar take responsibility for the controversy by resigning as Chief Election Commissioner.

An investigative report published by The Indian Express on September 23 claimed that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections on 14 occasions over various SIR-related decisions during the preceding 10 months.

Their objections reportedly concerned issues including Form 6, used for the inclusion of names in electoral rolls, applications for voter registration in West Bengal, and the management of voter data.

The report intensified questions about the Election Commission’s internal decision-making processes.

The SIR exercise, which began in June 2025, has prompted concerns among opposition parties that genuine voters could lose their voting rights in the name of electoral roll revision.

The Election Commission, on the other hand, has defended the legality and necessity of the exercise.

In May, the Supreme Court upheld the legality of the SIR process. However, it clarified that the exercise did not empower the Election Commission to determine whether an individual was an Indian citizen.

A large debate over Electoral transparency and the right to protest

The Delhi demonstration is about more than the demand for the resignation of an individual election commissioner. It has brought wider questions of electoral transparency, the independence of the Election Commission, and the right to peaceful protest into focus.

The extensive restrictions on public transport and mobile internet services have further intensified the debate over the balance between maintaining public order and protecting democratic freedoms.

Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke appealed to protesters to continue their agitation peacefully. However, he too was detained while still aboard an aircraft. Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were also detained.

Despite the detention of key organisers, Dipke reiterated the message that the movement should continue.