Over 7,000 detained as protest splinters across Capital
The plan was to assemble at Jantar Mantar, but it didn’t happen. A sea of khaki and blue-green fatigues, metal barricades and buses parked askew across the streets turned India’s address of dissent into a fortress on Saturday, scattering protesters across Delhi. Small groups raised slogans, changed routes and tried to regroup, only to be detained. By 5 pm, police had detained at least 7,000 people.
With heavy security deployment preventing protesters from reaching the designated venue, what was meant to be a collective gathering soon split onto streets, intersections and alternative meeting points across the Capital. Saturday’s protest was the latest in a series of demonstrations that have rocked New Delhi this past week, including one by Congress activists led by Rahul Gandhi. The INDIA opposition bloc is scheduled to hold a new protest on Monday.
A previous CJP protest in July against competitive examination paper leaks forced the resignation of then Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan after young men and women camped at Jantar Mantar for days. Mindful of that protest’s success, the Government, on Saturday, placed central Delhi under a much larger, tighter security grip, shutting down metro services, suspending trains from outside New Delhi, and blocking mobile Internet services.
From Connaught Place and Gurdwara Bangla Sahib to Dilli Haat, Gole Market, INA Market and Minto Bridge, the protesters moved between locations, searching for places to assemble and trying to find others who had set out for Jantar Mantar.
At several points, slogans rang out before police personnel moved in, chasing protesters and detaining them. Unlike the July protests, however, police did not use force, and no violence was reported. For protesters who had attended the July demonstration, the difference was stark. They had assembled at Jantar Mantar before marching, but this time even deciding where to meet had become a challenge.
A protester who attended the July demonstration said participants struggled to figure out where to assemble, with most updates coming through social-media posts and messages.
“Last time, we were stationed at Jantar Mantar and then had to march. This time, there is so much confusion about when and where to come. The only updates we are getting are through tweets and posts. How do we decide when to arrive and where to go? Even if a few of us gather together, we could be detained immediately. But we will continue this fight. We will fight for our democracy,” the protester said.
By afternoon, the planned gathering at Jantar Mantar had become a series of smaller demonstrations across Delhi. Streets and intersections became temporary meeting points as protesters searched for one another, raised slogans and tried to keep the protest going despite the repeated dispersals and detentions.
The protest was scheduled to begin at 10:30 am, but security personnel prevented the participants from reaching Jantar Mantar, where prohibitory orders were in force. Security detained some protesters near the venue, while others scattered into adjoining areas to continue the demonstration elsewhere.
The outer circle of Connaught Place, the area near Hanuman Mandir, Sansad Marg, Raisina Road, Imtiaz Khan Road, H K S Surjeet Bhawan, the stretch around the Safdarjung Airport flyover and the vicinity of the Shivaji Stadium metro station were among the locations where protesters gathered or attempted to mobilise. Police detained several people near Regal Cinema in Connaught Place, while others were sent back or chased away as they tried to regroup.
The pattern continued through the morning; groups gathered at a new location, raised slogans, and tried to draw others in, only to be dispersed or detained. With the original venue effectively cut off, protesters relied on social media posts and messages to learn where others were assembling and where they should head next.
The detention of CJP leaders Abhijit Dipke, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka at the Delhi airport upon their arrival in the national Capital earlier in the day added to the confusion, leaving other organisers to coordinate the protest amid rapidly-changing circumstances.
Ajinkya Shinde, who was made the national organisation in-charge of the CJP after the three leaders were detained, called on people to continue the demonstration wherever they were stopped.
At Gurdwara Bangla Sahib, the situation turned chaotic as some protesters sought refuge inside the gurdwara. At the same time, those who came out faced the risk of detention near Sansad Marg and adjoining areas. Elsewhere, protesters attempted to break through barricades as police personnel pursued groups moving between locations.
The All India Students’ Association (AISA) announced a change of destination to Dilli Haat after police detained several protesters in and around Jantar Mantar. Its president, Neha Bora, marched towards the alternative location and urged others to join her.
“Delhi Haat becomes Jantar Mantar today! See you there!” Bora wrote on X.
The call gave protesters who couldn’t reach Jantar Mantar a new meeting point. However, protesters said the effort to regroup was also disrupted when Bora was detained.
