Delhi Protest Crackdown: Dhruv Rathee and CJP Founder Detained

Delhi witnessed heightened security on October 10 as police detained YouTuber Dhruv Rathee, Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke and several other activists ahead of a planned protest at Jantar Mantar. The demonstration was intended to demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the revision of electoral rolls.

According to The Indian Express, Dhruv Rathee was detained at his residence in Gurugram’s Sector 56 while reportedly on his way to join the demonstration. CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke and party members Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were detained after their flight from Mumbai landed in Delhi. News reports also said that other activists and political figures were detained as authorities stepped up security across the capital.

The protest centred on allegations surrounding the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists. Opposition groups and protesters have questioned the deletion of voter entries, arguing that the process requires greater transparency. The Election Commission and the BJP have denied allegations of wrongdoing, maintaining that voter-list verification is a standard process.

Delhi Police had refused permission for the planned demonstration, citing procedural requirements and security concerns. Authorities imposed restrictions in several areas, while reports described disruptions to metro services, train operations and mobile internet access.

The detentions have intensified debate over the right to peaceful protest and the need to maintain public order. The key questions now concern the circumstances of the detentions, the legal basis for the police action and whether protesters will be allowed to demonstrate peacefully.