Jantar Mantar Protest 2.0: Mamata Banerjee, Dhruv Rathee, Manish Sisodia, and CJP Leaders Detained in Delhi Crackdown

New Delhi: In a major security operation across the National Capital Region (NCR), law enforcement agencies mounted a massive crackdown today, detaining key political leaders, prominent youth activists, and high-profile content creators ahead of a scheduled demonstration at Jantar Mantar.

The planned agitation, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged electoral roll irregularities, saw dramatic preventative detentions spanning Delhi, Gurugram, and Chandigarh.

Detentions Across NCR

In a dramatic early-morning action, police boarded a commercial aircraft at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport to detain Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke alongside key party leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka immediately upon landing.

Popular YouTuber and social media commentator Dhruv Rathee was picked up from his Sector 56 residence in Gurugram early Saturday morning. Officials deployed around 50 personnel outside his residence before moving to take him into preventative custody after he declined to drop plans to join the march.

Trinamool Congress supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, along with MP Saket Gokhale and several party colleagues, were detained outside her New Delhi residence as they prepared to move toward the protest venue.

Senior left leaders, including former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, MA Baby, Brinda Karat, and KK Shailaja, were intercepted and detained by Delhi Police near Jantar Mantar.

Opposition Reacts to "Crackdown"

The widespread detentions drew fierce condemnation from Opposition coalitions and civil rights groups. CJP representatives accused authorities of stifling democratic dissent, announcing that secondary leadership, including Ajinkya Shinde, would lead ongoing demonstrations.

Meanwhile, thousands of student activists and citizen supporters were transported to makeshift detention centres, including Chhatrasal Stadium, as police deployed strict barricading and transit restrictions across central Delhi. Authorities maintained that the actions were necessary to ensure public order following denied rally permits.

Also Read: CJP Protest Delhi LIVE: Dipke, Das, Ranka and 200 Detained