The roads leading to Jantar Mantar remain blocked by barricades, with the approach from Janpath Metro station cut off and the area around Parliament Street police station secured. On October 19, the most visible feature of the protest zone in central Delhi is the security arrangement itself. The protesters of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) are absent, but the barricades, police restrictions and buses brought in to detain demonstrators remain part of the landscape. The stretch leading towards Jantar Mantar is difficult to access.
Barricades have been placed along the approach roads, preventing people from moving freely towards the protest site. The restrictions extend to the area around Parliament Street police station, while the Election Commission office is also surrounded by barricades. The scene is markedly different from the confrontations reported during the preceding days, when protesters attempted to reach Jantar Mantar despite restrictions imposed by the Delhi Police.
The CJP has been at the centre of the agitation against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. On October 14, two of its members, Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das, were arrested after allegedly breaching security and entering Jantar Mantar. Earlier, they were sent in for judicial custody for five days. On Monday, the court extended the judicial custody by two days. The two were produced before a Special Executive Magistrate at Mandir Marg police station and then taken back to Tihar Jail. They will next be produced on Wednesday. The CJP alleged that the authorities were deliberately delaying proceedings to stop its leaders from being released. The party said the two had entered the premises to unfurl the national flag and raise slogans, and that it would continue to challenge the decision to remove Jantar Mantar’s status as a designated protest site.
On Monday, however, there is no visible gathering of CJP protesters at the barricaded approaches described in the ground observations. The absence of the group does not mean the security restrictions have disappeared. The roads remain blocked, and the arrangements that prevented demonstrators from reaching the site continue to shape movement through the area.
Near Connaught Place, the picture is somewhat different. The outer circle is partially barricaded, but people continue to move through the commercial district, adjusting their routes as they negotiate the restrictions. Shoppers and others going about their daily business attempt to find their way around the barricaded stretches. The contrast is visible between the commercial activity around Connaught Place and the restricted approaches towards Jantar Mantar. Movement continues in parts of the area, but access towards the protest site remains constrained.
For those attempting to reach the barricaded zone, the restrictions create an immediate obstacle. NSUI workers and activists are trying to make their way towards Jantar Mantar, with their office located nearby, but they are unable to get through. Their attempts to reach the area underline the practical effect of the security arrangements. Even people seeking to access nearby offices encounter the same barriers that have been placed to prevent demonstrators from entering the restricted zone.
There is no visible CJP gathering to confront the police at the site during these observations. Nor is there a reported march moving towards the Election Commission office. Instead, the scene is defined by separation between the accessible parts of central Delhi and roads that remain closed off. The Election Commission office area presents another stretch of restricted access. Barricades surround approach, preventing free movement towards building.
The security arrangements at Jantar Mantar and around the commission office create two distinct points where access remains controlled.
Buses brought in for detaining protesters are still on the roads. Their continued presence is a reminder of the arrangements made during the demonstrations, when police detained protesters attempting to reach restricted areas. The buses are now part of a largely static scene. The restrictions are also visible in the notices concerning Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS). Announcements relating to the prohibitory orders can still be seen across Connaught Place and the Jantar Mantar area.
The orders were imposed amid preparations for demonstrations against the Election Commission. Delhi Police had previously said that gatherings and demonstrations at Jantar Mantar required prior permission and that restrictions were necessary to maintain public order and manage traffic.