Chaotic scenes were witnessed in Delhi as the Cockroach Janta Party’s supporters attempted to congregate on Saturday at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar to protest. Police boarded an aircraft to detain protest organisers; four former chief ministers were taken into custody, and Metro restrictions disrupted movement.
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has blamed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal for the situation, alleging they tried to turn the capital into a political battleground with their “B-team”.
Most were freed. The chief minister’s remarks came as Opposition parties accused the government of using police action and imposing sweeping restrictions to prevent the demonstration that demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged electoral irregularities. Delhi Chief Minister’s ‘B-Team’ Swipe Gupta accused the two leaders of venting their frustration over repeated electoral defeats on the people of Delhi. “Why are these leaders hell-bent on taking out their frustration over non-stop defeats on the public? What is the fault of Delhiites troubled by chaos on the streets?” she asked. Questioning why ordinary residents should bear the brunt of political confrontations, the chief minister referred to the inconvenience faced by office-goers, daily-wage workers and patients trying to reach hospitals. The political attack came amid dramatic scenes across the capital as police moved to prevent protestors from reaching Jantar Mantar. CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke and two other leaders, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, were detained from inside an aircraft shortly after their flight from Mumbai landed at Delhi airport. A video showed police personnel entering the aircraft as Dipke questioned why they could not wait for passengers to disembark.
Nearly 3,000 people were detained across Delhi during the day, according to senior police officers. Delhi Police had denied permission for the demonstration, citing the organisers’ failure to provide the mandatory 10-day advance intimation and concerns over law and order.
“Rejected by the people of the country, Rahul Gandhi and Arvind Kejriwal, along with their B-team CJP, want to turn Delhi into an arena,” she said in a post on X. “Are your political ambitions bigger than the livelihoods, safety and peace of lakhs of families in Delhi?” she asked. Gupta also attacked her predecessor, Arvind Kejriwal, calling him a “seeker of anarchy” and accusing him of putting Delhi’s peace and security at risk for his own political gain. “Be reminded, holding Delhi hostage will not be permitted,” she warned.
The slew of restrictions had come under scrutiny in the Supreme Court on Friday, a day before the planned protest. Talking about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s third consecutive term,Gupta accused Opposition parties of refusing to accept the voters’ mandate. Detained On Plane, Dharna At Bus Stop “I have come here to be arrested. Former Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee staged a sit-in at a bus stop in South Avenue with a band-aid over her mouth before being detained along with several Trinamool Congress MPs. Kejriwal was detained as he attempted to leave his residence for the protest. Former Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and former Tripura chief minister Manik Sarkar were also among those detained. Protesters trying to reach Jantar Mantar were stopped at several locations and taken to temporary detention centres, including Chhatrasal Stadium. With Dipke in detention, CJP handed over responsibility for continuing the agitation to Ajinkya Shinde through a pre-recorded video. Metro Curbs, Top Court’s Questions Even as the Chief Minister blamed Opposition leaders for disrupting public life, restrictions imposed by the authorities also affected commuters, resulting in traffic jams across Delhi. Barricades, security checks and traffic diversions added to the inconvenience. The court asked the Centre to reconsider the restrictions, saying authorities could regulate movement for security reasons but could not completely shut down essential public transport.
Entry and exit gates at 45 Delhi Metro stations were shut, more than 250 trains were cancelled, and internet services were suspended in parts of central Delhi.
Arrest me,” he told the officers, who responded that he was being detained, not arrested. “You can’t use a sledgehammer to kill a fly,” the court observed while questioning the scale of the curbs on Metro and railway services.
