Indian police detained thousands of people and sealed central Delhi on October 10 to prevent a protest organized by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged voter-roll irregularities [5][6][11]. Authorities deployed between 25,000 and 43,000 security personnel [2][7][11][15][30], shut 45 to 57 metro stations, cancelled 245 to 250 trains, and suspended mobile internet in central Delhi [7][15][30]. Estimates of the number detained varied widely, from roughly 200 in the early city-centre count [9] to more than 2,000 [5][6] and over 7,000 by nightfall [38], with the CJP claiming more than 15,000 [8][23] and The Guardian reporting tens of thousands [11]. CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke and two other party leaders, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, were detained aboard their Air India flight before they could disembark [9][18][21][31]. Opposition figures including former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, and former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan were also detained [6][22][28].
Opposition leaders and protesters described the lockdown as evidence of a government afraid of its own people. Kejriwal called it "worse than the Emergency" and said India was living under "an absolute dictatorship ruled by Modi" [7][22]. Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said "India is not a democracy anymore. It is a dictatorship being run by Mr. Narendra Modi and Mr. Amit Shah" [7][28]. Dipke, detained on his flight, told RFI: «Regardez ce qu'est devenue cette nation ! Nous sommes arrêtés directement dans l'avion. Même sous Indira Gandhi, ce n'était pas comme ça. C'est la dictature !» (Look what this nation has become! We are arrested right on the plane. Even under Indira Gandhi, it wasn't like this. This is dictatorship!) [16]. Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah described the Delhi situation as the imposition of a "Kashmir model" [24].
The BJP and police leadership framed the lockdown as lawful enforcement of public order. BJP spokesman Sambit Patra said "democracy has triumphed over mobocracy" and that "what is happening at Jantar Mantar... is not India's story" [8][27][32]. Delhi Police Joint Commissioner Nupur Prasad said Section 163 BNSS prohibitory orders were in force, making any assembly illegal, and that the CJP had broken past undertakings [40]. BJP President Nitin Nabin accused opposition leaders of attempting to incite tension and said foreign forces sought to destabilize India [7][22]. Senior BJP member Ravi Shankar Prasad said street protests had been "weaponised" by rivals following their election defeats [6].
The dispute centres on a special intensive revision of electoral rolls that removed roughly 130 million names [5][6][11]. The Election Commission and the BJP rejected allegations of impropriety, saying the revision removed duplicate, false and outdated entries and that eligible voters wrongly deleted could re-enroll [5][6][8]. The BJP attributed its electoral success to Modi's popularity and India's economic growth, accusing opposition parties of spreading misinformation [5][21].
Opposition and civil-society voices alleged the deletions disproportionately affected voters critical of the Modi government, Muslims and economically weak groups [5][25][36]. Lawyer Paravin Singhal said: "How can this happen to someone who has been voting for 50 years? What is even more disturbing is that the government is taking away our most fundamental right – the right to vote" [11]. Rahul Gandhi said he would submit a memorandum to Chief Justice of India Surya Kant regarding alleged "vote theft" [15][32]. Former Supreme Court judge Rohinton Nariman said the essence of democracy — the right to vote — had become exposed to great danger [36].
The UN Human Rights Office expressed concern over mass detentions and called on Indian authorities to ensure the right to peaceful assembly was fully respected [5][27][37]. Spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan urged "meaningful dialogue" to address broadly held concerns [5][6]. Amnesty International denounced the "lockdown-like restrictions" and warned the detentions signaled "desperate attempts to suppress critical voices" [8][23][27]. The Committee to Protect Journalists called for the release of detained journalists, return of confiscated equipment, and investigation of reported physical abuse [7][22][27]. India's mission to the UN in Geneva called the concerns "misplaced" and "an unwarranted interference in the internal affairs of India," stating that assembly rights were subject to "reasonable restrictions in the interest of public order" [5][6][27].
Legal experts and bar associations challenged the legal basis of the detentions. Advocate Nipun Saxena said detentions of CJP representatives from Delhi-NCR areas where prohibitory orders were not in force were "wholly illegal" [31]. Former Supreme Court judge Abhay S. Oka said authorities were obligated under Article 22 to communicate the grounds for depriving a person of liberty [31]. Habeas corpus petitions were filed before the Supreme Court seeking the production and release of detained CJP leaders and the preservation of CCTV footage and custody records [33]. The Supreme Court Bar Association condemned "excessive force against, and detention of, senior and young advocates, particularly women advocates" [7][22]. Civil rights activist Anand Teltumbde argued that the court's delays and refusals of interim relief had allowed the process to continue, siding by default with the executive [34].
Constitutional lawyer Prashant Bhushan called the mobilization the largest since Modi came to power, surpassing the farmers' movement and the citizenship law protests [16][25]. Political scientist Rahul Verma of the Centre for Policy Research said the protest was the first movement driven by administrative failure and therefore harder to contain, noting that young middle-class voters who support the BJP make the protests especially problematic for the government [44]. Azim Premji University's State of Working India 2026 report found unemployment among graduates aged 15 to 25 at nearly 40% [5]. Student leader Neha Bora compared the arrests to those during the Quit India movement, saying "this movement will also not stop" [11]. CJP interim leader Ajinkya Shinde urged supporters: "We appeal to everyone to march towards Jantar Mantar! If Delhi Police tries to stop you, wherever they stop you will become your Jantar Mantar" [7][22].
The Supreme Court ordered the Modi government and the Election Commission to respond to allegations of irregularities in the electoral roll revision and expressed concern over rail and metro closures, saying the general public should not suffer [11][24][30]. After the court's intervention, the Delhi administration reduced the number of closed metro stations from 57 to 45 [30]. CJP leaders vowed to continue protests until Gyanesh Kumar resigns [6][29]. All detained protesters were released by nightfall except CJP leaders and YouTuber Dhruv Rathee, who remained in custody [38].