I’ve read a lot of news in my life, but I haven’t often felt scared by it. As I went through the coverage of October 10 and 11, that changed. I’m not a politician or an activist, just a citizen, and what I read made me think: this could be me.
This is a long post because the story is long. I’ve tried to separate what is documented from what is only alleged, because the facts are strong enough without exaggeration.
What was the protest about?
The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) is a youth-led movement that began with protests over exam paper leaks. On October 10 it called a protest at Jantar Mantar, Delhi’s designated protest site, demanding that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar resign over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
According to TOI, police denied permission, citing procedural requirements and law-and-order concerns.
The day Delhi shut down
Here is what the Hindu and TOI live coverage reports about the lockdown:
- Security: TOI reported about 35,000 police and paramilitary personnel, with drones and body cameras. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge put the number at about 32,000.
- Metro: Entry and exit were restricted at 57 stations, later reduced to 45, from 9 pm Friday to 10 pm Saturday. That is a 25-hour closure, according to TOI.
- Internet: The Home Ministry ordered mobile internet suspended within 500 metres of eight makeshift detention centres for ten hours, the Hindu reported. Lawyers told the court the whole city had no internet, which the government disputed.
- Detention centres: Sports complexes and community centres, including Chhatrasal Stadium, were turned into holding facilities.
- Even outside Delhi: The Hindu reported over 40 protesters detained in Chennai, and Mumbai Police registered an FIR over a protest at August Kranti Maidan.
How many people were detained?
The honest answer is that nobody outside the police knows yet, and that is a problem by itself.
- The Hindu, citing Delhi Police sources: about 2,500 on Saturday, plus about 1,000 overnight.
- TOI: Delhi Police said more than 7,000 by Saturday evening.
- Reuters, citing an anonymous official: more than 2,000.
Whichever number is right, it is far beyond routine policing. Most people were released by late evening.
Who was detained
The CJP leaders. Abhijeet Dipke, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were detained inside an aircraft after it landed in Delhi from Mumbai. The party says police “kidnapped” them from the flight, and Air India has reportedly asked police for answers. They were held for nearly 24 hours, then released by an Executive Magistrate. TOI reports Delhi Police said a Rs 50,000 surety bond was furnished for peace and good behaviour for a year.
Dhruv Rathee. TOI reported that Delhi Police took him from his Gurugram home. The Hindu reports he was released by Gurugram Police early Sunday, while TOI says late Saturday night. Rathee said he wasn’t arrested but kidnapped. A police source told PTI he could be detained again if he tries to reach Jantar Mantar.
Opposition leaders. TOI reported Arvind Kejriwal and Mamata Banerjee among those detained. Banerjee said she began a sit-in at Dwarka North police station, alleging she was driven around in a prison van for two hours. Kejriwal publicly asked where the CJP leaders and Rathee were being held.
Lawyers. This part alarmed me most. An advocate told the Supreme Court that about 150 lawyers protesting outside the court were picked up in a prison van, with officers wearing no name tags. Senior advocate Shadan Farasat said he was thrown into a moving bus. The Hindu reports that several lawyers were released after Chief Justice Surya Kant intervened.
Journalists. The Press Club of India, the Indian Women’s Press Corps and two other journalist bodies said reporters were detained despite showing press cards, and that phones and equipment were seized.
An MP. CPI(M) Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas was detained on both days. His party alleges he was assaulted by CRPF personnel on Sunday, and there is video of police putting him in an autorickshaw. That is an allegation, not a finding.
In this, one question should surely arise – If everyone is protesting who are these people who are actually voting them?
The due-process allegations
At their press conference, the CJP leaders said police didn’t let them speak to lawyers, seized their phones for about 24 hours without a seizure memo, and issued no formal detention notice. Das said he fears the phones were cloned and evidence planted. These are their claims and police haven’t answered them in the coverage I’ve read. But if true, they describe a process with no paper trail, which should worry everybody.
What the Supreme Court did
Even though you ask me at this point I won’t trust Supreme Court of India too. Anyways the court assembled for a special hearing on a Sunday. The bench of Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana:
- directed that peaceful gatherings must not face illegal detention
- ordered Metro and rail to function normally and internet to stay undisturbed, subject to public-order law
- asked authorities to review barricades and remove Section 163 BNSS boards outside courts
- said lawyers and journalists must be allowed to do their jobs
- issued notice on a contempt plea over alleged violation of its October 9 order on the Metro closures
- said it needs a response on statutory violations, including officers not wearing badges
The key limit is that the court hasn’t ruled the detentions illegal. Several of the harshest descriptions record what lawyers argued, and Justice Bagchi said the other side must be heard. Menaka Guruswamy asked the court whether an “Emergency has been imposed”. The next hearing is October 13.
What the government and BJP say
I want to be fair here, because a post that ignores the other side convinces nobody.
- Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the court there was no reduction in Metro service. He said entry and exit were restricted at 45 of 303 stations and that the petitions hadn’t been served on the Centre.
- The Ministry of External Affairs rejected the UN human rights office’s concern about mass detentions as misplaced. It said Indians exercise protest rights subject to reasonable restrictions.
- BJP’s Ravi Shankar Prasad said the country would be governed by Parliament, not the streets. Goa CM Pramod Sawant said the SIR happens every ten years, those removed can file Form 6 to be re-added, and the CJP should go to court.
- Former IAS and IFS officers published an open letter defending the Election Commission and the SIR. Which I won’t doubt as we know they are same as a politician who lives on money under the table.
- Police reported six personnel injured, including a Pink Force member, and stone-pelting near Akashwani Bhawan and Connaught Place.
Violence from more than one side
A video shown on the live blog reportedly shows a protester pinned down at Raj Ghat with an officer holding them by the throat. That is unverified. Police also arrested four men claiming links to the Hindu Raksha Dal for allegedly assaulting students and hitting women on DDU Marg. Footage reportedly shows a police officer standing there. Police registered 20 FIRs in total.
Why I’m angry and BJP Sucks
The speed. If the state can find 35,000 personnel, close the Metro and set up detention centres in a night, why does everything else take months?
Pahalgam. 26 people were killed in the April 2025 Pahalgam attack. Three months later the attackers were still at large, and the NIA had arrested only two men accused of providing shelter and food. J&K’s Lieutenant Governor said he took full responsibility and called it a security lapse. Amit Shah later told Parliament that three terrorists were killed in Operation Mahadev. That is the government’s claim, and I’m not saying nothing was done. But the opposition demanded that the Home Minister take responsibility. One security failure with 26 dead led to slow accountability. One protest led to a lockdown within hours. J-K LG should resign as he has taken responsibility of Pahalgam attack Owaisi +4
Crimes against women. I won’t say a whole party backs rapists, because that isn’t fair. But look at 2023: wrestlers sat at Jantar Mantar for over a month protesting sexual harassment allegations against the Wrestling Federation chief, then a BJP MP. Police detained them when they marched toward the new Parliament building and cleared their protest site. In the Bilkis Bano case, convicts were released early in 2022 and the Supreme Court cancelled that in 2024. The BJP did expel Kuldeep Sengar after the Unnao case. What does all this tell the next woman deciding whether to report? deccanherald
Who is accountable? Delhi Police report to the Union Home Ministry, which also ordered the internet cut near the detention centres. CJP leaders blame Narendra Modi and Amit Shah directly. Das called it an “emergency-like” situation, and Dipke called Modi an embarrassment. Kharge and Kejriwal made similar attacks. I haven’t seen any evidence of a personal order from either man. But the Home Ministry’s responsibility for the system is on the record, and ministers don’t get to avoid it.
Why this can happen to you
Whatever you think of the CJP, look at who was swept up: students, lawyers, journalists, MPs and former chief ministers. Congress stayed out of Saturday’s protest, yet its leaders were detained too. If preventive detention doesn’t check your politics first, then tomorrow’s protest could be about your exam, your village’s water supply or a road in your area.
What you can do:
- Read the court orders yourself, not just the headlines.
- Know that you can ask why you are being detained and request a lawyer.
- Support lawyers and groups challenging unlawful detention.
- Ask your representative for the grounds in writing.
- Share this post with one person who thinks it can’t happen to them.
What to watch next
- October 12: the INDIA bloc protest in Delhi and its memorandum to the Chief Justice of India.
- October 13: the Supreme Court’s next hearing and the compliance report on the Metro and internet orders.
Frequently asked questions
How many people were detained in Delhi on October 10?
Reports range from about 2,500 to more than 7,000, depending on the source.
Was Dhruv Rathee arrested?
Reports describe a detention, and he says he was kidnapped. Gurugram Police released him, though sources differ on exactly when.
Did the Supreme Court declare the detentions illegal?
No. It ordered that peaceful protesters must not be illegally detained and asked for the authorities’ response.
What was the condition for releasing the CJP leaders?
A bond of Rs 50,000 for peace and good behaviour for a year, according to Delhi Police.