It was meant to be a demonstration at one site in central Delhi. By Saturday evening, it had become a day of detentions stretching from the capital’s airport to the streets of Gurugram, Chandigarh and Mumbai, and from the doorsteps of national leaders to the roads leading to Jantar Mantar. Here is what happened, hour by hour.

What was the protest about?

The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) had called a protest at Jantar Mantar demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The Election Commission and its supporters say the revision is lawful, and earlier this week 42 former judges signed an open letter defending it.

Why police said no

According to the Indian Express, Delhi Police denied permission for the demonstration, citing security concerns and the timing of the application. The CJP submitted it on 7 October, whereas the rules require 10 days’ notice. Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), which restricts gatherings, was in force in central Delhi.

How the day unfolded

Early morning. Delhi Police detained CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, along with co-convenors Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, aboard their flight from Mumbai as soon as it landed. YouTuber Dhruv Rathee was detained from his home in Gurugram.

Around 9:45 am. ThePrint’s live blog reports that Delhi Police said it had detained at least 150 protesters that morning, with stadiums turned into detention centres. The police statement also referred to roughly 500 people arriving in groups from different locations who had been detained.

Around 12:15 pm. Former Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, CPI(M) Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas and former Kerala finance minister K N Balagopal were detained, according to a statement by the CPI(M), as reported by ThePrint.

Early afternoon. AISA president Neha Bora and Yogendra Yadav, national convenor of Bharat Jodo Abhiyaan, were detained as they tried to march to Dilli Haat. India.com’s live coverage adds that CPI(ML) Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya and lawyer Prashant Bhushan were detained near INA market.

Mamata Banerjee. Delhi Police and CRPF personnel detained the TMC chief, along with five others, from outside her residence in the capital.

Afternoon. Former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal was detained. His party colleague Atishi alleged that he was “brutally taken into custody”, a description we have not independently verified.

Around 5 pm. India.com reported that Delhi Police said more than 3,000 protesters had been detained during the day.
 

Who was among those detained

The list, according to the reports above, includes Mamata Banerjee, Arvind Kejriwal, Pinarayi Vijayan, John Brittas, Yogendra Yadav, Prashant Bhushan, Dipankar Bhattacharya and Neha Bora, along with Abhijeet Dipke, Saurav Das, Ashutosh Ranka and Dhruv Rathee. The Indian Express describes the detainees as a mix of political leaders, activists, lawyers and content creators.

What each side says

The CJP called the detentions authoritarian and said its campaign will continue with or without its leaders. It named organisation-in-charge Ajinkya Shinde to lead the protest at Jantar Mantar, and Shinde issued an appeal during the day. Delhi Police has cited security concerns and the missing notice period. The BJP has dismissed this second round of the CJP agitation as a “flop show”. We have not independently verified turnout or the BJP’s exact wording.

The human side of the day

The detentions also touched families. Dipke’s grandmother, Savitribai Dipke, died in Maharashtra on Saturday while he was in custody, and Delhi Police told him he could return for her last rites or stay. Read our separate report on that.

What we don’t know yet

The figures changed through the day, from 150 in the morning to over 3,000 by the evening, and the numbers have come from police and from live reports rather than a final tally. We have not seen a full list of those detained, an official statement on when they will be released, or any legal complaint. We will update this as soon as those details come in.

What happens next

Expect questions about the scale of the detentions, the use of Section 163, and whether the CJP and its allies call further protests.

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