Shashi Tharoor slams Delhi crackdown on CJP protest, calls it an ‘undeclared Emer-GenZ’

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor harshly criticized Delhi's security measures during the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Saturday. Tharoor described the situation as unprecedented and compared it to an "undeclared Emer-GenZ". He pointed out checkpoints every few hundred meters, concrete barriers, spike strips on roads, the deployment of 22,000 police and paramilitary personnel, 250 trains cancelled, and 45 metro stations closed.

Tharoor also highlighted the suspension of internet services in parts of the national capital, calling it a particularly regressive measure.

The CJP organized a protest against Kumar and the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, alleging voter-list irregularities and demanding Kumar's resignation. Delhi Police justified the restrictions citing law-and-order concerns, public safety, traffic management, and the need to protect local residents. They also stated that Jantar Mantar, the designated site for the demonstration, had limited capacity and denied permission for the planned protest.

Tharoor expressed concern over those detained, including CJP activists Abhijeet Dipke and others, and content creator Dhruv Rathee. He urged the government to release the detained individuals and called for answers to protesters' concerns. Tharoor questioned the government's decision to restrict access to Jantar Mantar and suggested that imposing similar restrictions on Monday would only deepen the issues it seeks to suppress.

He stressed that freedom of movement was completely shackled and that barricades would not restore public faith in the Election Commission.