Published Oct 10, 2026 | 4:11 PM ⚊ Updated Oct 10, 2026 | 4:13 PM
The protest carried out by various Left organizations in New Delhi on 10 October
Synopsis: As the Delhi Police crackdown against protestors continues, the detention of CPI(M) leaders like Pinarayi Vijayan has sparked a political storm, with the Left accusing the Centre of crushing democratic dissent. Cutting across generations, the CPI(M) and SFI have vowed to intensify protests demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation, condemning the police crackdown on demonstrators.
The CPI(M) on Saturday, 10 October, levelled a serious accusation of mistreating Pinarayi Vijayan, the 81-year-old former Chief Minister and the present Opposition Leader in the Keralam Assembly, after police detained him outside the Kerala House at Jantar Mantar in the now-fortified New Delhi.
A wary Union Government has clamped down on Delhi to foil a planned joint protest by the Cockroach Janta Party, the Left parties, All India Trinamool Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party.
CPI(M) general secretary M A Baby being detained by Delhi Police
Express and mail train schedules to arrive at New Delhi and Hazrat Nizamuddin on Saturday were curtailed; over 55 Metro stations were closed; Internet services were suspended, and the police advised owners of paying guest accommodations, hostels, colleges, and mosques not to allow those associated with them to participate in the protest seeking the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the alleged irregularities in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Despite deploying the police and CRPF’s Rapid Action Force in large numbers, and a mass-detention drive, agitators hit the streets, defying prohibitory orders — and were detained.
Likening the situation in the national capital to a war zone, CPI(M)’s Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas accused the Narendra Modi government of waging a war against the people, alleging that unprecedented force was being deployed to suppress a democratic protest.
Also Read: Delhi turns Detention Central; Pinarayi calls it ‘murder of democracy’
The Delhi Police detained Pinarayi, Brittas and CPI(M) Central Committee member and former minister of Keralam KN Balagopal as they attempted to proceed towards Jantar Mantar from Kerala House. Police took the three leaders to Chhatrasal Stadium, which was being used as a temporary detention centre.
Pinarayi Vijayan along with John Brittas and K N Balagopal on their way to Jantar Mantar
Brittas said CPI(M) leaders and activists were bundled into police vehicles and driven around Delhi for hours before being taken to different locations, without being clearly told of the destination of their offence.
“We were driven around the city for nearly an hour. We didn’t know where they were taking us. The police are behaving without basic courtesy and intimidate us when we try to take photographs,” Brittas said, describing their journey to Chhatrasal Stadium.
The Rajya Sabha MP questioned the treatment meted out to Vijayan, who had served as Keralam Chief Minister for 10 years. He alleged that even ordinary citizens were being prevented from entering Jantar Mantar. He said those detained were left uncertain about where they were going.
Brittas alleged that Pinarayi was denied food, water and medicines. The octogenarian leader was made to travel in a packed police jeep that roamed around for nearly three-and-a-half hours instead of taking them directly to a police station.
“With the mercury soaring in Delhi, the conditions took a toll on Pinarayi Vijayan,” Brittas alleged, calling it clear mistreatment. He added that Kerala House eventually arranged food.
Brittas said the detentions and the way protesters were transported reflected the heavy-handed approach the authorities took to handle the demonstration.
He also alleged that Delhi Police personnel had forcibly entered his residence at night and asked whether anyone other than the MP was staying there. They left only after he strongly protested, he said.
Pinarayi Vijayan being detained by the Delhi Police. John Brittas and K N Balagopal are also seen.
Brittas said the Delhi Police and central forces’ deployment on such a scale to deal with a democratic protest was unprecedented. He claimed that central forces, including personnel brought in from Kashmir, had been deployed in the capital, with reports putting the total strength of police and central forces at more than 40,000.
He said the detentions and the way protesters were transported reflected the heavy-handed approach the authorities used to handle the demonstration.
Meanwhile, CPI(M) sources said that although it was initially said the leaders would be taken to Chhatrasal Stadium, the vehicle carrying leaders like Vijayan, Brittas and Balagopal was driven around Delhi for about three and a half hours without stopping.
Police later took the leaders to Mandir Marg Police Station.
Also Read: New Delhi sealed, dissent detained before first slogan
P Rajeeve, who was also detained, said around 15 people were packed into a vehicle with four compartments and that several had sustained injuries in the police action.
“We were told we were heading to a police station. Police took everyone into custody as soon as we stepped out of Kerala House. We have been driven around continuously for nearly an hour. The vehicle has four compartments, and 15 of us were inside. Many have sustained injuries due to the police using force,” Rajeeve said.
Pinarayi Vijayan and other leaders are crammed into a police vehicle.
Delhi Police detained several senior CPI(M) leaders at Jantar Mantar and near Minto Road as they attempted to march towards the protest venue from Harkishan Singh Surjeet Bhawan on Indrajit Gupta Road.
Those detained included party general secretary MA Baby; veteran leader Brinda Karat; Polit Bureau members MV Govindan and A Vijayaraghavan; and Central Committee members KK Shailaja, PK Sreemathi, and TM Thomas Isaac.
Another group, including Polit Bureau members Arun Kumar and Vijoo Krishnan and Central Committee member AR Sindhu, was detained near Minto Road. The CPI(M) said the police action would not deter the protests, asserting that the widespread demonstrations had rattled the Narendra Modi government.
CPI(M)’s trade union leader Elamaram Kareem alleged that the police had used force to detain activists and taken them to Burari, where they were made to sit in a room. He said around 25 activists were travelling in the vehicle.
Also Read: India resisted Modi and his men long before the Gen-Z agitation
Earlier, Pinarayi accused the Narendra Modi government of trying to turn the country into a police state. The CPI(M) Politburo member said police action could not silence the agitation demanding Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation.
CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat and others inside a police vehicle
Speaking to the media outside Kerala House before heading to the protest at Jantar Mantar, Pinarayi alleged that the Election Commission’s impartiality and credibility had been compromised.
He said the demand for Kumar’s resignation was part of a larger struggle to protect democracy.
“This is a challenge to democracy. They are trying to stifle the people’s voice, but it will only grow louder. Such measures cannot suppress the agitation. More and more people who believe in democracy are joining the protest. The government has begun to panic, and these actions reflect that fear,” he said.
Pinarayi also condemned the police restrictions on protesters’ movement, describing them as an infringement of their freedom. He said defending democracy was essential to the country’s future and asserted that the people would rally behind the cause.
Also Read: A country of 13 crore ‘living dead’ has found its voice
The CPI(M) state secretariat condemned the detention of senior party leaders during protests in New Delhi and accused the Centre of suppressing democratic dissent through an “Emergency-like” crackdown.
Heavy police presence in Delhi ahead of CJP protest
In a statement, the party alleged that the Narendra Modi government was pushing the country into turmoil to shield the Chief Election Commissioner. It called for widespread protest demonstrations and public meetings against what it termed the Centre’s fascist suppression of peaceful protests.
The party accused the Delhi Police of acting like “RSS-BJP thugs” and questioned the deployment of more than 50,000 police and paramilitary personnel, the imposition of prohibitory orders, the suspension of internet services and the closure of 57 metro stations.
It also alleged that trains bound for Delhi, including services from Keralam, were stopped before reaching the capital.
The detention of CJP leader Abhijeet Dipke and others after they boarded a flight was described as an act of “barbarism”. The CPI(M) said the restrictions violated the freedoms of movement and expression, adding that the Supreme Court had expressed disagreement with the prohibitions after Baby approached it.
Delhi police detain Abhijeet Dipke, Saurav Das, and Ashutosh Ranka from the flight
The statement also cited the alleged arbitrary removal of more than 130 million voters from electoral rolls, accusing the Chief Election Commissioner of acting in the interests of the RSS-BJP combine. It said the ruling establishment was attempting to crush growing protests through force.
Recalling the country’s struggle for independence and its defence of democracy, the CPI(M) said the RSS and BJP should not underestimate the people’s resolve, asserting that the people would ultimately prevail.
Also Read: This government will go, says Rahul Gandhi
SFI All-India president Adarsh M Saji vowed to intensify the protest against the CEC, warning that the agitation would spread across the country despite arrests and imprisonment.
Adarsh M. Saji inside a police vehicle.
“Thousands are protesting today, but tens of thousands will take to the streets tomorrow,” he said, asserting that protest sites like Jantar Mantar would emerge across the country.
Accusing Gyanesh Kumar of “murdering Indian democracy” to keep Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah in power, Adarsh alleged that the government was shielding the Chief Election Commissioner at all costs.
He accused the police of brutally cracking down on students and youths holding peaceful protests, alleging that demonstrators, including young women, were dragged and assaulted on Amit Shah’s orders.
“The police are behaving like RSS cadres,” he said, condemning the alleged police action and reiterating that the SFI would not retreat “even an inch” from the agitation.
(Edited by Majnu Babu)
