Delhi Police detain over 2,000 protesters demanding Gyanesh Kumar resign
Police detained more than 2,000 protesters and locked down parts of New Delhi on Saturday, October 10, 2026, to block a demonstration demanding the resignation of India’s Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The security crackdown targeted members of the youth-led “Cockroach” movement, who accuse election authorities of manipulating voter rolls to favor Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Thousands of Police Deployed as Capital Enters Lockdown
Authorities deployed thousands of police and paramilitary personnel across New Delhi, suspending mobile internet services in the central business district and shutting down dozens of metro stations and markets. Security forces established checkpoints on major roads, boarded buses to search for demonstrators, and positioned anti-riot vehicles equipped with tear-gas launchers along key routes. The heavy mobilization aimed to thwart a planned mass gathering at Jantar Mantar, a designated protest site in central Delhi, by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP).
The restrictions disrupted traffic across the city of approximately 20 million people. Protest organizers had intended to call for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over a controversial revision of voter lists. Critics argue that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls disproportionately benefits Prime Minister Modi’s administration ahead of upcoming state elections.
Contrasting Figures on Mass Detentions and Arrests
Reporting on the scale of the police response reveals differing figures across media outlets. A Ministry of Home Affairs official stated that more than 2,000 people were detained in New Delhi, alongside approximately 400 protesters held in Mumbai. Delhi police sources placed the capital’s detention total closer to 2,500 people, with about 600 arrests occurring in Mumbai according to the ANI news agency.
Among those detained were prominent political figures, student leaders, and journalists. Police temporarily held Supreme Court lawyer Prashant Bhushan, National President of the All India Students’ Association Neha Bora, and several opposition lawmakers and former chief ministers, including Mamata Banerjee of West Bengal, Arvind Kejriwal of Delhi, and Pinarayi Vijayan of Kerala. Representatives from digital news outlets and a Reuters witness were also briefly taken into custody while covering the demonstrations.
Court Releases CJP Leaders Arrested on Airplane
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke and senior party leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were taken into custody by police inside an airplane immediately after landing in New Delhi on a flight from Mumbai. Video footage shared on social media showed Dipke challenging officers on board before being escorted away. An executive magistrate’s court in New Delhi subsequently ordered the release of Dipke and two other detained CJP leaders on Sunday, October 11, 2026, on the condition that they make no breach of peace for one year.
The detentions sparked decentralized demonstrations elsewhere in the capital, with small groups gathering at a popular crafts market and the Mahatma Gandhi memorial. Protesters chanted revolutionary slogans as police cleared the streets. CJP leaders vowed to continue their demonstrations until Kumar resigns from his post.
Election Commission Removes 130 Million Names from Voter Rolls
The unrest stems from the Special Intensive Revision of voter rolls launched in mid-2025, which has removed roughly 130 million names from electoral lists across India. Election Commission data indicates that these deletions include 63 million people who relocated, 30 million who could not be traced, and 28 million who had died. The Election Commission and the BJP have denied all allegations of electoral manipulation, maintaining that deletions correspond to legitimate draft revisions and that eligible voters can re-enroll.
Opposition parties argue that the removed names altered the outcomes of recent state polls won by the BJP.