Thousands of protesters, including Deepak, detained in Delhi; grandmother passes away at village home.

Police have carried out a massive crackdown in connection with protests at Delhi's Jantar Mantar demanding the resignation of India's Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar. Thousands of people—including Abhijit Dipke, founder of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), along with various opposition political leaders, student leaders, and content creators—have been detained. Meanwhile, on the very day Dipke was detained, his 85-year-old grandmother, Savitribai Shankar, passed away in their ancestral village in the Hingoli district of Maharashtra.

Police detained Dipke from inside the aircraft after he arrived at Indira Gandhi International Airport on Saturday morning to join the protests in Delhi. He was accompanied by CJP spokespersons Saurabh Das and Ashutosh Ranka. They had traveled from Mumbai to Delhi to participate in the pre-announced protest at Jantar Mantar.

Upon receiving news of his grandmother's death, Dipke's father, Bhagwan, and mother, Anita, set out for the village. However, it could not be immediately confirmed whether Dipke would be released, granted permission to travel to Maharashtra for the funeral, or even informed of his grandmother's passing.

Massive Crackdown Across Delhi

Thousands of protesters have been detained across Delhi amidst the ongoing movement demanding the resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar. Reports vary regarding the exact number of detentions. Citing a Delhi Police official, *The Hindu* reported that 3,300 people were detained across the capital, with over 500 of them taken into custody from the Jantar Mantar area. Another report placed the number of detainees at approximately 5,000.

Extensive security measures have been implemented in Delhi in response to the protests. In addition to deploying thousands of police and paramilitary personnel, authorities have set up barricades and barbed-wire obstacles at various locations. Protesters were detained during raids at various points in the capital and on buses heading toward Jantar Mantar. Among those detained are CJP founder Dipak, party leader Sourav Das, Ashutosh Ranka, and Ratna Singh. Reports also indicate the detention of popular content creators Dhruv Rathee and Kavya Karnataka.

Detained Former Chief Ministers and Opposition Leaders

Several former chief ministers and opposition political leaders in India have been detained in connection with the protests. They include former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, former Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, and former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

According to reports, Mamata Banerjee was detained near the South Avenue bus stand in Delhi. Several Trinamool Congress Members of Parliament (MPs) accompanying her were also detained; they include Derek O’Brien, Dola Sen, Pratima Mondal, Samirul Islam, and Saket Gokhale.

Indian media reported that Arvind Kejriwal was detained outside his residence in Lodhi Estate. Additionally, several leaders and activists from the Communist Party of India (Marxist)—or CPI(M)—including Manik Sarkar and Pinarayi Vijayan, were detained.

Among the detainees is Neha Bora, President of the All India Students Association (AISA). When this PhD student from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) was placed inside a police bus, protesters surrounded the vehicle. In a social media post, she alleged that citizens—both those already in the capital and those en route to Delhi—were being detained, and barricades were being erected at various locations.

Police also detained Yashaswini Raje Singh, daughter of former Uttar Pradesh BJP MLA Vikram Singh. She stated on the social media platform X that she was detained while sitting in a park near Delhi's Bangla Sahib Gurudwara and was subsequently taken to the Keshav Puram police station. Tushar Gandhi Detained in Mumbai

Mahatma Gandhi's great-grandson, Tushar Gandhi, had organized an event in Mumbai to show support for the protests in Delhi. Police detained him on Saturday afternoon while he was on his way to the event at August Kranti Maidan.

A police official stated that Tushar Gandhi was detained in the Bandra area and taken to the DN Nagar police station. Associates and the vice-president of his organization, 'Hum Bharat Ke Log', were also detained. While the police maintained that they were merely detained, a post on Tushar Gandhi's X account claimed he had been arrested and taken to an undisclosed location.

The police claimed that no application seeking permission for the event had been submitted; therefore, permission was not granted.
Sonam Wangchuk Demands Release of Detained Leaders

Educationist and environmental activist Sonam Wangchuk has stated that he would consider undertaking a hunger strike or a march if all those detained in connection with the protests are not released by Sunday.

In a message on social media platform X, the Magsaysay Award-winning Wangchuk said that while calling for unity and peace during Saturday's protests, he had never imagined that the world's largest democracy would find itself in a state of "undeclared emergency."

Noting that he had been pleased to see many leaders stepping forward to lead the movement, Wangchuk said he later learned they had all been detained. He added that if they were not released by Sunday, he would be compelled to consider a hunger strike or a march.
Opposition Criticizes Government and Election Commission

Aam Aadmi Party convener Arvind Kejriwal criticized the central government over the detention of the protesters. In a post on X, he described the situation as worse than the Emergency. He characterized the detention of Deepak and his associates—before they could even disembark from their flight—as a manifestation of the government's fear.

In a social media post, he took a stand against CEC Gyanesh Kumar and the central government. He wrote that Gyanesh Kumar must resign and the government must step down; only then would the process of restoring democracy begin.

CJP stated that if Dipke, Sourav Das, and Ashutosh Ranka were detained, Ajinkya Shinde—the leader in charge—would lead the protest. Dipke had announced this arrangement in a video message recorded the previous night, anticipating his arrest.

Protesters are demanding the resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar, alleging irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process of the electoral rolls. The movement in Delhi surrounding this demand—marked by heavy security measures and a crackdown—has sparked fresh tension in India's political landscape.