Delhi police detain journalist covering youth protest against chief election commissioner
Reporter Ayush Tiwari was seized by Delhi Police while reporting near ITO, despite showing his press credentials, ahead of a youth-led rally demanding Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation.
Delhi Police arrested Scroll reporter Ayush Tiwari on Saturday while he was covering pre-protest activity near ITO, even though he displayed his press card and shouted that he was a journalist. He was escorted away in a police van despite his protests. The arrest occurred ahead of a planned youth protest at Jantar Mantar, organized by the Cockroach Janta Party and student groups linked to left parties, which calls for Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar to step down over concerns about the Election Commission’s handling of electoral roll revisions.
Police denied permission for the rally and imposed extensive restrictions, including the cancellation of trains, closure of 45 metro stations, and suspension of mobile internet in central Delhi. Hundreds of demonstrators were detained, among them party leaders Abhijeet Dipke, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, as well as YouTuber Dhruv Rathee and legal affairs head Ratna Singh.
Why it matters
The detention highlights growing tensions between Indian authorities and the press amid protests over election oversight.
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.
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