Bangla Sahib becomes refuge for protesters as Delhi Police detain demonstrators ahead of CJP rally
Gurdwara Bangla Sahib became a gathering point for protesters ahead of the Cockroach Janta Party's (CJP) demonstration in Delhi on Saturday, with security personnel detaining several demonstrators in and around the area amid heightened security across the national capital.
Visuals shared on social media showed protesters raising slogans near the gurdwara, with a banner reading “Scrap SIR; CEC Must Resign”. Other footage appeared to show paramilitary personnel detaining demonstrators in the vicinity.
The CJP, led by Abhijeet Dipke, had called for a protest at Jantar Mantar demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Among those detained was Yashaswinee Raje Singh, daughter of former Uttar Pradesh BJP MLA Vikram Singh. She posted on X that she had been detained near Bangla Sahib “for sitting in a park” and was being held at Keshav Puram police station.
Raje Singh had earlier supported the CJP campaign during student protests in June and July seeking the resignation of then Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged examination paper leaks.
For some demonstrators, Bangla Sahib had also served as an overnight refuge after restrictions were announced on October 9 ahead of Saturday's protest.
A 24-year-old protester, who spoke to ThePrint on condition of anonymity, said she and others had been at the gurdwara since 9 am after finding Jantar Mantar barricaded. The demonstrators returned to the shrine and raised slogans intermittently, dispersing whenever police personnel appeared, she said.
According to the report, police personnel arrived in large numbers around 1 pm and detained protesters gathered near the gurdwara's entrance. Slogans of “Inquilab Zindabad” and “Jai Bhim” were raised as the detentions took place.
Bangla Sahib had also sheltered student protesters in July during demonstrations seeking Pradhan's resignation, the report said.
The detentions unfolded amid an extensive security deployment across Delhi. More than 40,000 Delhi Police and Central Armed Police Forces personnel had been deployed, with barricades and spike strips installed at several locations.
Jantar Mantar, the intended venue of the demonstration, was sealed off, including to media personnel. Loudspeakers at key entry and exit points warned against gatherings, processions and road blockades under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita.
According to ThePrint, more than 200 protesters had been detained and taken to makeshift detention centres. Those detained included YouTuber Dhruv Rathee and CJP legal head Ratna Singh.
Dipke and party spokespersons Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were detained at Delhi airport after arriving on a flight from Mumbai, while All India Students' Association national president Neha Bora was detained after police blocked her march from Dilli Haat.
The joint demonstration, organised by the CJP and Left organisations and dubbed “Jantar Mantar 2.0”, also drew farmers from Haryana and Punjab.
The Delhi Traffic Police issued an advisory warning of possible disruption around Jantar Mantar and identified diversion points, including the Ashoka Road-Jantar Mantar Road roundabout and the Jai Singh Road-Ashoka Road T-point. Commuters were advised to avoid non-essential travel and check traffic updates.
