Published : 11 Oct 2026, 12:05 PM
Updated : 11 Oct 2026, 12:12 PM
Delhi is facing renewed calls for protests on Sunday after police reportedly detained more than 7,000 demonstrators in a sweeping crackdown the previous day during demonstrations demanding the resignation of India's chief election commissioner.
Prominent opposition figures and protest organisers were among those detained on Saturday and subsequently released.
The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), which organised Saturday's demonstrations, has called supporters back to Jantar Mantar in central Delhi despite extensive security restrictions across the capital.
The Times of India, citing police sources quoted by ANI, reports that all protesters held at detention centres across Delhi had been released by Saturday night, except three senior CJP leaders.
The three -- CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka -- were subsequently released on Sunday after being produced before an executive magistrate, according to The Indian Express.
Among those detained during Saturday's crackdown were four former chief ministers -- West Bengal's Mamata Banerjee, Delhi's Arvind Kejriwal, Kerala's Pinarayi Vijayan and Tripura's Manik Sarkar.
All four were subsequently released.
Political YouTuber Dhruv Rathee, who was detained at his residence in Gurugram on Saturday, was also released overnight, according to reports.
The mass detentions came as police sought to prevent demonstrators from gathering at Jantar Mantar to demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in revisions to India's electoral rolls.
The Indian Express estimated that around 7,000 people were detained across the capital, while Hindustan Times reported that approximately 41,000 security personnel were deployed on Saturday.
Barricades were erected across central Delhi, dozens of Metro stations were shut and mobile internet services were suspended in parts of the capital.
Despite the restrictions, demonstrators staged smaller protests at several locations, including Connaught Place, Raj Ghat and Dilli Haat, before being detained by police.
Delhi police had refused permission for Saturday's rally, citing security and public-order concerns.
The crackdown drew criticism from opposition parties and the United Nations human rights office, which expressed concern over the mass detentions and called for respect for the right to peaceful assembly. India rejected the UN intervention as interference in its internal affairs.
Security restrictions remained in place on Sunday, with police maintaining barricades around Jantar Mantar and warning of possible traffic disruptions across the capital.
The CJP has vowed to continue its demonstrations until Kumar steps down, while the opposition INDIA bloc has called for further protests on Monday.
India's Supreme Court is also scheduled to hold a special Sunday hearing on petitions challenging the detentions and restrictions imposed during the protests.
The demonstrations are part of a growing campaign against revisions to India's electoral rolls, which opposition parties and activists allege have disenfranchised millions of voters and benefited Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The BJP and election authorities have denied wrongdoing.
