Delhi Police has registered an FIR against 22 protesters who were detained at Minto Road while attempting to march towards Jantar Mantar from Ramlila Maidan during the INDIA bloc rally on Sunday. The protesters, affiliated with the Disha Students’ Organisation and the Revolutionary Workers’ Party of India (RWPI), have been booked under multiple provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including charges of obstructing public servants, disobeying official orders, and criminal conspiracy.
The FIR was registered after police personnel, assisted by paramilitary forces, stopped the protesters at Minto Road around 5 pm on November 1. According to police, the INDIA bloc had obtained permission to organise its rally at Ramlila Maidan. Still, the clearance did not extend to a procession towards Jantar Mantar, which is no longer a designated protest site. Police later took the protesters in two buses to Dwarka Sector 23 and Jafarpur Kalan police stations. Officials said they were released around 2 am on Monday.
The case has been registered under Sections 223(a), 132, 221, 121(1), 3(5) and 61(2) of the BNS. These provisions deal with disobedience of orders promulgated by public servants, assault or use of criminal force to deter public servants from discharging their duties, obstruction of public servants, voluntarily causing hurt to deter a public servant from duty, common intention, and criminal conspiracy. Separately, one of the protesters, identified as Vishal, was taken to Connaught Place police station and placed under preventive detention under Sections 126 and 170 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).
He was produced before the Special Executive Magistrate (SEM) at Mandir Marg on Monday and directed to execute a peace bond. However, he refused to furnish the bond, maintaining that he had not committed any act that could lead to a breach of peace. He was subsequently released after furnishing sureties and signing a personal bond.
The protesting organisations have accused Delhi Police of using excessive force while detaining their members. They alleged that several demonstrators, including women, were dragged into police buses and that a woman protester fainted during the operation.
Suraj Rait, a member of the RWPI, alleged that Vishal, an artist and activist associated with the organisation, was detained for nearly 23 hours and was denied access to essential medication during custody. Rait said the march was organised jointly by the RWPI and Disha Students’ Organisation, with participants demanding the restoration of Jantar Mantar as a designated protest venue and withdrawal of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. He further alleged that Vishal was pressured to sign a peace bond despite refusing to accept that he had committed any breach of peace. According to Rait, the activist declined to sign either a regular or interim peace bond.
The FIR comes amid a continuing controversy over the Delhi Police decision to remove Jantar Mantar from the list of designated protest sites. The INDIA bloc rally at Ramlila Maidan was organised against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, with opposition parties alleging irregularities in the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the SIR exercise.
Although police did not disclose the official attendance figure, estimates suggested that around 50,000 people attended the rally. Congress and other INDIA bloc leaders addressed the gathering, demanding accountability from the Election Commission and raising concerns over the revision of electoral rolls. Delhi Police had granted permission for the Ramlila Maidan event between 10 am and 5 pm, subject to conditions, including crowd management, CCTV surveillance and immediate dispersal after the programme. The police had also clarified before the rally that the permission did not cover any procession outside the designated venue.