CJP leader Shinde vows daily protests after Delhi police detain thousands
Ajinkya Shinde of the Cockroach Janta Party called for ongoing marches to Jantar Mantar, demanding the removal of CEC Gyanesh Kumar after a police crackdown that detained over 4,000 protesters.
Delhi police launched a large-scale crackdown on a Cockroach Janta Party demonstration at Jantar Mantar, detaining over 4,000 participants. In response, party figure Ajinkya Shinde announced a fresh series of daily marches aimed at forcing chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar to resign, citing suspected manipulation of electoral rolls. The police also arrested senior CJP members Abhijeet Dipke, Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das as they entered the city.
Shinde, who was given leadership of the protests by Dipke, declared that the rallies would persist until the CEC is removed. He emphasized that the movement will maintain a constant presence at the historic protest site, signalling a sustained challenge to the election authority.
Why it matters
The protests highlight growing political tension over election integrity and could pressure India's top election official.
How this story developed
- Oct 2 Youth party and student groups rally to demand resignation of India's election chief
- Oct 5 Delhi police deployed roughly 5,000 officers and paramilitary units ahead of two anti‑CEC marches.
- Oct 6 Opposition MPs including Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi were briefly detained during a protest march toward the Election Commission.
- Oct 6 When police barred the INDIA bloc march to the Election Commission, Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka redirected the demonstration to the Akashvani Bhavan building.
- Oct 7 Cockroach Janta Party filed a formal notice with Delhi police about an Oct 10 Jantar Mantar protest demanding the CEC’s resignation.
- Oct 7 Police detained Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi and other lawmakers during the protest and released them later that evening.
- Oct 8 India’s Election Commission is under intense pressure after a newspaper report claimed key decisions in a nationwide voter-roll cleanup were made without full commissioner approval, sparking large demonstrations demanding chief Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation.
- Oct 9 Delhi police say restrictions on the Cockroach Janta Party’s planned rally at Jantar Mantar are needed to avoid overcrowding and protect the public.
- Oct 9 Police have deployed over 20,000 officers and closed metro gates ahead of the planned protests.
- Oct 10 The Union Home Ministry approved the addition of about 11,000 Central Armed Police Forces personnel.
- Oct 10 Police detained many individuals in the hours before the scheduled rally.
- Oct 10 Mumbai police detained Tushar Gandhi, a Gandhi descendant, as part of the wider crackdown.
- Oct 10 The Supreme Court ordered that some train services remain operational despite earlier shutdown orders.
- Oct 10 Police deployed thousands of personnel, closed 45 metro stations and detained additional opposition figures and activists.
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