Published Oct 09, 2026 | 1:26 PM ⚊ Updated Oct 09, 2026 | 1:26 PM
File photo of CJP protest
Synopsis: Vijay Mallangi, Media and South zone lead for CJP told South First that four volunteers from Telangana and three from Andhra Pradesh were detained by police in Madhya Pradesh, while they were on train to New Delhi to take part in the October 10 protest. To further clamp down on the protests, Indian Railways has cancelled all trains arriving at and departing from New Delhi and Hazrat Nizamuddin stations for 10 hours from 4 am to 2 pm on Saturday. Delhi Police has also denied permission for the proposed protest, citing alleged non-compliance with conditions agreed to during an earlier demonstration.
The government has gone into overdrive ahead of the march planned by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) on Saturday, 10 October, to Jantar Mantar, Delhi, against CEC Gyanesh Kumar and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Nationwide detentions of CJP volunteers and left student activists have been reported while they were trying to reach the national capital. According to the Indian Express, Indian Railways has also cancelled all trains arriving at and departing from New Delhi and Hazrat Nizamuddin stations for 10 hours from 4 am to 2 pm on Saturday.
Left student groups, including the SFI, AISF, AISA, PSU, AIDSO and AISB, declared on 6 October that they would join the agitation in large numbers.
Also Read: Protest as prayer: Thousands gather at Rajghat on Day 3 of INDIA bloc’s anti-CEC campaign
Vijay Mallangi, Media and South zone lead for CJP, told South First that four volunteers from Telangana and three from Andhra Pradesh were detained by police in Madhya Pradesh, while they were on a train to New Delhi to take part in the October 10 protest.
Rajesh Korapaka, Stanley Korani, and Ranga Sai were travelling on the Telangana Express before being detained by the police in Bhopal and placed under arbitrary preventive detention, Hyderabad-based activist Ruchith Asha Kamal told South First.
Alongside Stanley, Rajesh, and Ranga Sai, CJP Telangana volunteer Venky Goud was also detained.
In a separate incident, three CJP volunteers from Andhra Pradesh, Baba Fakhruddin, B. Venkatesh, and Renjith Rajeev, were lifted off a moving train in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh. According to fellow travellers, around eight people entered the coach to take them away.
A press release by the CJP stated that “as of now, none of the seven detained volunteers is reachable. There has been no official confirmation from Madhya Pradesh Police or the RPF regarding their whereabouts or grounds for detention.”
Also Read: Special Intensive Removal: The Telangana model!
Condemning the detentions, CJP convener Abhijeet Dipke wrote on X, “CJP Telangana volunteers got detained from Bhopal. MP police detained them from the train. It couldn’t be more evident that Modi is a psychotic dictator.”
CJP Telangana volunteers got detained from Bhopal.
MP police detained them from the train.
It couldn’t be more evident that Modi is a psychotic dictator.
— Abhijeet Dipke (@abhijeet_dipke) October 8, 2026
Neha Bora, an AISA leader, also took to X to criticise the police action. She wrote: “You can detain the people. You cannot detain the movement. The freedom struggle did not end so today’s rulers could become the new Raj. We are not subjects, but citizens of a Republic built on resistance, sacrifice and the promise of “We, the People.” Jantar Mantar 2.0 continues!”
Meanwhile, in a video shared on Instagram, Hyderabad-based activist Ruchith appealed to people from across Telangana to come together in support of the detained CJP volunteers.
“The activists who are detained have been fighting for student rights in Telangana. They were front and centre during the NEET protest and even met with the families of the victims. I appeal to all the people of Telangana, especially students and politicians, to speak up for them,” he said.
In a direct appeal to the Telangana Congress government, Ruchith said, “The BJP government in Madhya Pradesh has arrested young people from Telangana while they were travelling by train. Telangana’s Chief Minister should respond on this. The detained activists should be released immediately.”
CJP’s national co-incharge Deepak Baliyan also has claimed that he has been placed under house arrest at Alwar, Rajasthan.
The CJP shared on its X handle that “40+ police personnel in civil dress are present at his home. After detaining him from his home at night, the Alwar Police have once again arrived at his residence.”
“My family is scared and fears for their safety. Alwar Police will be solely responsible if anything happens to any member of my family,” Baliyan said.
🚨 IMPORTANT 🚨
CJP’s National Org Co-Incharge Deepak Baliyan has been placed under house arrest!
40+ police personnel in civil dress are present at his home.
After detaining him from his home at night, the Alwar Police have once again arrived at his residence.
“My family is scared and fears for their safety. @AlwarPolice will be solely responsible if anything happens to any member of my family.” – @deepakbaliyan90
— Cockroach Janta Party – CJP (@Cockroachisback) October 9, 2026
Across the rest of India too, groups have been trying to bring students to Delhi from Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh.
Several of them told South First that their members were facing police scrutiny and detention while travelling to Delhi.
The SFI’s central executive committee said in a press statement that Uttar Pradesh Police had been threatening its activists over the phone. It alleged that police were illegally entering the homes of SFI members and other activists to detain them ahead of the protest.
Dinesh Seerangaraj, national general secretary of the AISF, told South First that AISF members had been detained in different states. “We have been detained. Women students were manhandled,” he said.
He alleged that intelligence officials in Pune tracked AISF members travelling to Delhi on the Goa Express. Some students were forced to get off the train at Itarsi in Madhya Pradesh and detained, he said. He added that police in Delhi had been asking for details of student leaders in the city.
Similar allegations have been raised by the CJP. CJP spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka on Thursday said that thousands of volunteers had been detained in Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. Days earlier, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said police in Chandrapur had served notices on activists, asking them not to travel to Delhi and questioning who was paying for their tickets.
Meanwhile, Dinesh said the AISF, the CJP, civil society groups, farmers’ organisations and trade unions were coming together for a major protest.
“These students have turned protests into celebrations,” he said.
Also Read: Opposition gets to Raj Ghat without a fight; capital locked down ahead of CJP’s October 10 protest
In a statement, the Ministry of Railways said: “Intelligence inputs and traffic advisory indicate severe road congestion around New Delhi and Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station area on 10th Oct, 2026 between 04:00 hrs to 14:00 hrs due to planned protest/demonstration by Opposition parties in Central Delhi. To ensure that passengers do not face similar hardship, Railways has taken a proactive, precautionary step: All Mail/Express trains starting from the source after 14:00 hrs on 9th Oct, which were scheduled to arrive at New Delhi / Hazrat Nizamuddin between 04:00-14:00 hrs on 10th Oct, are cancelled at source.”
Meanwhile, according to a PTI report, the Delhi Police has requested the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) to shut 57 metro stations from 9 pm on Friday, 9 October till Saturday, the day of CJP’s protest, citing the likelihood of “unruly mob movement towards sensitive locations.”
In a letter on Thursday, Joint Commissioner of Police (Transport Range) Rajneesh Gupta said the frequency of metro trains passing through the stations may also be reduced on October 10, depending on the situation.
Delhi Police requests DMRC to shut 57 metro stations.
In a letter, Joint Commissioner of Police (Transport Range) Rajneesh Gupta, said, “In view of the proposed protests at Jantar Mantar and other locations in New Delhi District on 10.10.2026, and likelihood of unruly mob movement towards sensitive locations, frequency of Metro trains passing through the following Metro stations may be reduced and their entry/exit gates may be closed from 09:00 PM on 09.10.2026, continuing on 10.10.2026 till the situation normalizes:”
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) October 9, 2026
Delhi police Joint CP Nupur Prasad, speaking to the news agency ANI on Friday, acknowledged receiving the application intimating that the CJP intended to stage a protest on 10 October, “On the 7th, they submitted an application to the New Delhi district authorities, intimating that they intended to stage a protest on the 10th regarding the accountability of the CEC.”
Clarifying that the permission has not been granted, she said, “This intimation was reviewed. Firstly, it was received on very short notice; our established guidelines require such requests to be submitted ten days prior to the planned protest, which was not the case here. Secondly, their past conduct was taken into account; when they were previously granted permission for a protest, they failed to adhere to their own undertakings and did not comply with the legal guidelines issued at the time. In light of these factors, the current law-and-order situation, open calls from other organisations, and traffic regulation requirements, permission is not being granted.”
“It is important to note that Section 163 of the BNSS is currently in force in the New Delhi area, prohibiting any form of assembly or protest. Therefore, should any assembly occur, or if any incidents of vandalism or destruction of public property arise, appropriate legal action will be taken.”
#WATCH | Delhi: Joint CP Nupur Prasad says, “On the 7th, they submitted an application to the New Delhi district authorities, intimating that they intended to stage a protest on the 10th regarding the accountability of the CEC. This intimation was reviewed. Firstly, it was received on very short notice; our established guidelines require such requests to be submitted ten days prior to the planned protest, which was not the case here. Secondly, their past conduct was taken into account; when they were previously granted permission for a protest, they failed to adhere to their own undertakings and did not comply with the legal guidelines issued at the time. In light of these factors, the current law-and-order situation, open calls from other organizations, and traffic regulation requirements, permission is not being granted. It is important to note that Section 163 of the BNSS is currently in force in the New Delhi area, prohibiting any form of assembly or protest. Therefore, should any assembly occur, or if any incidents of vandalism or destruction of public property arise, appropriate legal action will be taken.”
She adds, “Permission is granted solely for peaceful protests; our role is to facilitate the process so that the protest can conclude peacefully… If you attack us, you disrupt the peace… We are part of you, and it is your duty to respect everyone… if permission for a protest has been granted and you are proceeding legally, we facilitate that protest. Jantar Mantar has hosted hundreds of protests, so please abide by the rules. Adhere to the law, as the right to protest is not exclusive to any single individual—it belongs to everyone…”
Regarding the claims that the police are stopping people and making announcements at various locations, she says, “Section 163 of the BNSS is currently in force, and these announcements are being made under that provision. These announcements are entirely lawful and are being conducted in a legal manner.”
— ANI (@ANI) October 9, 2026
In an attempt to further clamp down on the protests, the Union government has advised social media firms to prioritise action against unlawful content related to ongoing protests based on complaints received from authorised bodies, including law enforcement agencies, a PTI report said.
The Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY) is learnt to have issued an advisory to social media platforms on October 8, expressing concern over the online circulation of certain information related to the ongoing protests that is false, misleading, manipulated or presented out of context.
The IT Ministry has expressed apprehension that such unlawful content may disturb public order, social tranquillity and raise law and order concerns as well as may incite violence.
“MeitY has advised large social media platforms to identify such unlawful content and prioritise action based on complaints received from authorised government bodies,” an official source aware of the development said.
The advisory has asked social media platforms to label synthetically generated content on their platform, particularly where the content is presented to depict the ongoing events.
“MeitY has advised social media companies to ensure timely cooperation with law enforcement and other authorised government agencies for action and furnishing information as well as provide assistance as per the applicable law within stipulated timelines under the IT Rules, 2021,” the source said.
More than 20,000 police and paramilitary personnel have been deployed across Delhi ahead of the October 10 protest, a senior police officer said on Thursday. The officer said no permission had been granted for any protest at Jantar Mantar and that prohibitory orders were in force.
The Centre has provided the Delhi Police with 110 additional companies of central forces, including 85 from the CRPF, 10 from the SSB, seven each from the ITBP and RAF, and one from the CISF. At least five of these companies comprise only women personnel.
Hindustan Times reported that around 11,000 additional central personnel were being deployed in Delhi, taking the strength of central forces in the city to around 26,000. The additional deployment has been cleared for October 8 to 12.
Police are monitoring roads leading into Delhi from Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, with barricades planned at entry points. Buses heading towards the New Delhi district are also being tracked, while railway stations and bus terminals are under watch. Uttar Pradesh and Haryana have been asked to remain alert.
Police have also approached colleges and paying guest (PG) accommodation owners, asking them to prevent students from attending the protest. Officers have discussed the possibility of using stadiums as temporary detention centres if large crowds refuse to disperse.
Jantar Mantar has remained closed to protesters since October 2, when around 1,000 people were detained across the city.
Security for Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar has also been stepped up. Kumar already has Z+ security cover, and additional police personnel have been deployed outside his residence.
(Edited by Sumavarsha, with inputs from Sreshta Ladegaam)
