Shashi Tharoor decries Delhi's massive security clampdown ahead of election protest

In a late-night X post, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor described Delhi's current security posture as "war-like," citing roughly 22,000 police and paramilitary personnel, checkpoints, concrete barriers, spike strips, and a citywide internet suspension. He noted that 250 trains were cancelled and 45 metro stations shut while authorities detained more than 500 demonstrators trying to reach Jantar Mantar for a protest organized by the Cockroach Janta Party against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

Tharoor argued that such repression erodes confidence in the Election Commission and that a government confident in its elections should answer public queries instead of resorting to lathis. He questioned why comparable security would not be deployed to protect women in the capital and warned that repeated lockdowns would only deepen suspicion. Police justified the ban on the rally citing security and procedural requirements, maintaining heightened surveillance across the city. Tharoor called for expression over repression, asserting that democratic strength is measured by how dissent is treated.