Bhopal/New Delhi: In a massive crackdown ahead of the scheduled October 10 protest by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) in Delhi, police detained several activists from a train at the Itarsi railway station in Madhya Pradesh on Thursday late evening. The protesters were en route to the national capital to participate in a demonstration demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
A heavy security blanket comprising 23,000 personnel has already been thrown over Delhi, alongside widespread train cancellations at major terminals and the closure of multiple metro stations to curb the movement of the demonstrators.
According to reports, police offloaded and detained 15 CJP activists, including 12 young men and three young women, at Narmadapuram’s Itarsi junction. The detentions quickly sparked controversy as the detained activists levelled serious allegations of manhandling against the police force. One of the female protesters claimed that the police misbehaved with them and tugged at her clothes, notably in the absence of any female police personnel at the scene. The activists further alleged that they were being subjected to intimidation tactics without being informed of where they were being taken.
Reacting strongly to the nationwide detentions, CJP Founder Abhijeet Dipke questioned the government’s actions. “Why doesn’t the government just declare an emergency?” Dipke remarked. He further took to X (formerly Twitter) to condemn the widespread arrests. “Ahead of our October 10 protest, the government has detained thousands of youths across the country. These intimidation tactics will not work. The youth of this country are no longer afraid of you. I am reaching Delhi tomorrow, and no matter what happens, I will march to Jantar Mantar,” he stated. CJP spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka also targeted the government over the heavy-handed approach.
The clampdown has affected other student bodies as well. Viraj Divang, National President of the All India Students Federation (AISF), claimed that several students travelling from Pune to Delhi to join the protest over election-related issues and CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation were also detained at Itarsi.