23 Allegedly Detained In MP Ahead Of Delhi Protest, Two Workers Among Those Held; Students Begin Hunger Strike At Itarsi

At least 23 individuals, comprising 21 student and youth activists and two daily-wage workers, were reportedly detained in Itarsi, Bhopal, and Gwalior while traveling to Delhi for a protest on Saturday at Jantar Mantar. The protest, organized by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), aims to demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the cancellation of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Sixteen passengers were removed from the Goa Express at Itarsi Junction around 5:30 pm on Thursday, including 14 members from the New Students and Youth Federation and All India Students Federation (AISF), along with two workers returning home. Activists claim they were held at a resort under intense police surveillance, with over 200 policemen present.

Two activists, Navale and Niharika Bhosale, initiated a hunger strike, stating they faced pressure to leave the detention center. Seven individuals were apprehended in Bhopal, and Gwalior saw three arrests. Ruchit, a Hyderabad-based activist, reported the detentions of four Telangana activists: Stanley Korani, Rajesh Korapaka, Rangasai Reddy, and Venkatesh Goud.

Three Andhra Pradesh activists—Baba Fakhruddin, B Venkatesh, and Renjit Rajeev—were also reportedly detained in Gwalior. Ruchit mentioned that fellow activists initially communicated the detentions via messages but later became unreachable by phone. Additionally, five Delhi-bound trains were canceled due to the protest, affecting services from Bhopal and Jabalpur.