Mail and Express trains will not reach New Delhi and Hazrat Nizamuddin stations between 4 am and 2 pm on Saturday, October 10, as Delhi Police declare any gathering at Jantar Mantar illegal ahead of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest.
Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), which restricts assemblies, is in force in the national capital. Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Shrishti Pandey said protests are not permitted at Jantar Mantar or anywhere else. “Any gathering will be considered illegal,” she said on Friday, adding that police would take legal action and urging people to stay away. Police have also not granted permission for the protest.
Additionally, the police stated that they received the application seeking permission for the protest on October 7, just three days prior. However, according to rules, such applications have to be submitted at least 10 days in advance, said Joint Commissioner of Police, New Delhi range, Nupur Prasad.
The CJP, led by founder Abhijeet Dipke, wants Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar to resign over allegations of irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Dipke has said supporters from across India will march to Delhi if Kumar does not step down. If police try to stop them, he said, “wherever they stop us will become our Jantar Mantar”. He has described the planned agitation as peaceful.
Activists being pressured
Dipke alleged on Tuesday, October 6, that CJP activists were receiving police notices and being pressured to stay away from the Delhi protest. Speaking at a press conference in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, he claimed Chandrapur police had served notices asking activists not to take part and questioning them about who was funding their travel.
He called it “dictatorship” and asked how police could predict that the agitation would turn violent, according to PTI.
Security cordon
Around 11,000 additional Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) personnel are being deployed in Delhi, taking the central force presence to roughly 26,000, the Hindustan Times reported. The deployment has been approved for October 8 to 12.
The extra 110 CAPF companies include 85 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) companies, 10 Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) companies, seven Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) companies, seven Rapid Action Force (RAF) companies and one Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) company. At least five of the companies will comprise only women personnel, as a significant section of those expected at the protest are women.
Police will keep a closer watch on routes from Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, with barricades planned at entry points, according to the Hindustan Times. CCTV cameras and facial-recognition systems will be used, buses heading towards the New Delhi district will be monitored, and railway stations and bus terminals will remain under surveillance. Uttar Pradesh and Haryana have been asked to stay alert.
Depending on the situation, police may regulate access to metro stations and markets in the New Delhi area, ANI reported, citing sources. Temporary detention facilities have been discussed in case large numbers of protesters arrive and refuse to disperse.
Mumbai precedent
The Delhi call follows a CJP protest at Mumbai’s Shivaji Park on October 2, where thousands gathered even after police denied permission. Some accounts put the turnout at more than 10,000. The protest also comes amid wider demands from opposition parties and civil society groups for Kumar’s resignation over the SIR allegations.
Follow on Twitter | Edited by Syeda Faiza Kirmani | | 
