2,000 detained: Delhi’s anti-EC protest, massive crackdown, as it unfolded

Delhi was gripped by a massive lockdown on Saturday, October 10, 2026, as security forces clamped down to prevent protests at Jantar Mantar. The Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) had organized the protest, along with various student and Left organizations, in a bid to force Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar to resign and to halt the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Despite the authorities' intense crackdown, CJP leaders remained steadfast, asserting that the nationwide protest would proceed regardless of who led it. The security forces had deployed over 23,000 personnel, shut down 45 metro stations, suspended mobile internet in parts of the city, and canceled numerous train services. The situation painted a picture of a city frozen in time, as the anti-CEC protest unfolded across India.