Former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and five Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs were detained in Delhi on Saturday while attempting to join a protest organised by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. 

Banerjee was detained from South Avenue in central Delhi, where she had staged a protest at a bus stop after police stopped her from proceeding. The five TMC MPs detained alongside her included Derek O’Brien and Dola Sen. They were taken away in a police bus. 

Banerjee was seen with a band-aid over her mouth during the protest. In a video statement recorded inside the police bus, she accused the government of misbehaving with the protesters and said the INDIA alliance would continue fighting to strengthen people’s voices. 

The opposition leaders raised allegations of “vote chori” and electoral irregularities, demanding the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. These were allegations made by opposition leaders, not independently established findings.

Police stopped Banerjee as she attempted to proceed to the protest. Several other opposition and student leaders were also detained while trying to join the demonstration. Former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and CPM MP John Brittas were among those taken to Chhatrasal Stadium.

The INDIA bloc has also announced a protest against the alleged Election Commission irregularities on Monday. The allegations of vote theft remain claims raised by opposition leaders.

YouTuber Dhruv Rathee was detained by Delhi Police from his residence in Gurugram’s Sector 56 on Saturday morning, ahead of a planned protest by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) at Jantar Mantar in the national capital.

Police sources said a team of around 50 Delhi Police personnel reached Rathee’s residence and detained him. The demonstration had prompted heightened security arrangements in Delhi, with police taking preventive measures ahead of the planned gathering.

The detention drew a response from the CJP, which demanded Rathee’s immediate release.

Dhruv Rathee had announced participation in protest

Rathee had announced his participation in the Saturday demonstration through a video posted on his X account on Friday evening.

He had arrived in India from Germany earlier in the week and had also joined the CJP’s protest in Bengaluru on October 8.

The YouTuber, who has frequently criticised the Narendra Modi-led government, was expected to join the party’s planned demonstration in Delhi.

Police deny permission for CJP protest

Delhi Police had earlier denied permission for the proposed protest, citing security considerations and procedural requirements.

Ahead of the demonstration, police increased deployments at strategic locations and carried out preventive detentions to stop protesters from reaching the planned venue.

The protest was organised by the CJP, which had mobilised supporters to gather at Jantar Mantar. The demonstration targeted Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

Security arrangements were stepped up across the national capital as authorities prepared for the gathering.

CJP demands Rathee’s immediate release

Following Rathee’s detention, the Cockroach Janta Party called for his immediate release.

The detention took place amid broader preventive action against people expected to participate in the demonstration. Police measures were aimed at managing security and preventing protesters from reaching the protest site.

The developments came as Delhi prepared for the planned CJP protest on Saturday.

Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke was detained from a plane by Delhi Police after it landed in Delhi on Saturday morning, October 10, ahead of the party’s planned protest at Jantar Mantar. Two other party leaders, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, were also detained.

The planned demonstration was aimed at demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The detentions took place before the leaders could reach the proposed protest venue in the national capital.

Why CJP planned the Jantar Mantar protest

Dipke had announced the protest earlier in October as part of the party’s campaign against the Chief Election Commissioner. The party had called for a demonstration on October 10 if Kumar did not resign.

Dipke said the protest would be peaceful and invited people who wanted free and fair elections to participate. The announcement followed an earlier CJP demonstration at Mumbai’s Shivaji Park.

Delhi Police had denied permission for the CJP protest on Friday, saying that permission had not been sought well in advance. 

Two other CJP leaders also detained

Apart from Dipke, CJP leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were also detained after arriving in Delhi. The action came as police prepared for the planned gathering at Jantar Mantar.

A video posted by Dipke showed CJP members arguing with police personnel after officers entered the plane. Dipke was seen telling the women police officers, ‘You could have waited till we came out. Come arrest us, we are not afraid. 

The party criticised the detentions, alleging that the action was intended to prevent its leaders from reaching the protest site. It also demanded the immediate and unconditional release of the detained leaders. These allegations were made by the party and should not be treated as independently established findings.

CJP’s demand for the Chief Election Commissioner

The planned demonstration centred on CJP’s demand for Gyanesh Kumar to step down as Chief Election Commissioner. Dipke had previously warned that supporters would travel to Delhi to protest if Kumar did not resign.

As per report more than 400 suspected protesters had been detained from different parts of the capital overnight. The report also said 45 Metro stations had been shut, dozens of trains had been cancelled, and over 20,000 police and Central Armed Police Forces personnel had been deployed to maintain law and order.