NEW DELHI: The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has vowed to press ahead with its protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. This comes a day after thousands of people were detained across Delhi as police prevented demonstrators from reaching Jantar Mantar on Saturday, October 10.
The Indian Express live blog reported ongoing developments from various parts of the capital, monitored by journalists Asad Rehman, Alok Singh, Sakshi Chand, and edited by Syed Ilham Jafri.
On Sunday, CJP’s Ashutosh Ranka stated in a post on X that party leaders would approach the police to secure a date for a peaceful protest. “Tomorrow at 10 AM, me, Saurav Das, Ratna Singh and other CJP leaders will go to Parliamentary Street Police Station to get a date for a peaceful protest at Jantar Mantar. Delhi Police can give us a date for Jantar Mantar in 24 hours, or we will give another protest call ourselves,” he said. Meanwhile, entry and exit gates at six Delhi Metro stations — Janpath, Mandi House, Barakhamba Road, Central Secretariat, Rajiv Chowk, and Patel Chowk — will remain closed till 4 pm on Monday ahead of the protest against CEC Kumar. The DMRC confirmed that interchange facilities would remain available at all six stations.
The Supreme Court on Sunday directed the Centre to ensure normal Delhi Metro services and uninterrupted internet access amid protests, emphasizing that any restrictions must strictly adhere to public order provisions under Article 19(2) of the Constitution.
The Congress will lead an Opposition march to the Supreme Court on Monday after Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant declined a request for a meeting, citing pending cases and the judiciary’s administrative limitations regarding such grievances. Led by Rahul Gandhi, the delegation plans to submit a memorandum demanding an immediate halt to the SIR of electoral rolls and the resignation of the CEC. The march is scheduled to begin at 1:30 pm from Connaught Place, with INDIA bloc leaders and civil society groups participating.
CJP leaders stepped up their criticism of the Union Government during a press conference on Sunday after being released from preventive detention. Questioning the security deployment, they stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah “should be ashamed” of allowing the situation to escalate into a “war-like” scenario. Among those detained by Delhi Police on Sunday were MP John Brittas and AISA President Neha Bora. CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke on Monday challenged Delhi Police to release the full video of his detention, alleging officers denied him access to his phone, family, and legal counsel. Speaking in Maharashtra’s Hingoli, he accused police of failing to inform his family about his whereabouts and causing distress by asking him to call his parents at 3:30 am following his grandmother’s demise while he was in custody. Although police released a video claiming they offered assistance for him to attend her last rites, Dipke disputed their account. He had left Delhi on Sunday following his grandmother’s passing, stating that the party leadership would announce the next course of action.
For more details: Navamalayalam.com