Delhi police appeal to citizens not to join October 10 protest

NEW DELHI

Amid heavy security deployment across the New Delhi district, Delhi Police has launched a localised outreach campaign to prevent public assembly for the October 10 Jantar Mantar protest led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) along with Left and youth organisations seeking the immediate removal of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar and the suspension of the special intensive revision (SIR) drive. The police has officially officially rejected permission for the protest.

Authorities are holding meetings with student paying guest owners, market associations, and Resident Welfare Associations to appeal to citizens not to join the agitation between October 7 and 10.

“A meeting was held with district police officials and local citizens highlighting the importance of maintaining law and order,” said Mohammad Shahid Gangohi, a social activist who attended the security briefing in Central Delhi’s Chandni Mahal area. “The police maintained that citizens should not participate in the protest as it would worsen the law and order situation in the New Delhi area. When we asserted that protesting is our fundamental right, they countered that there are constitutional limitations to that right.”

Mr. Gangohi, whose own family has been affected by the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process, with the names of six of his sons allegedly deleted from the electoral rolls, noted that shopkeepers have been requested to close their establishments early at 11:30 p.m. instead of midnight.

“We told the police that we will cooperate and advise citizens not to join the crowds,” Mr. Gangohi added. “However, we also stated that the high-handed tactics used by the police to forcibly shut shops last time must not be repeated. In July, police officers dropped a container of curd into a cauldron of boiling milk at a local sweet shop. We will not tolerate such actions this time.”

Condemning the restrictions, CJP leader Saurav Das stated that administrative pressure would not deter the demonstrators. “We have already informed the public that Delhi Police is planning to restrict the protest, but authorities fail to realise that the youth of this country are now awakened,” Mr. Das told The Hindu. “These intimidation tactics by Delhi Police will no longer work.”

To curb mobilisation, the police are holding targeted briefings across colleges, universities, and student-heavy paying guest (PG) accommodations.

A senior police official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that authorities are actively tracking individuals who participated in the previous demonstration. “Orders have been issued to monitor and, if necessary, pre-emptively detain past agitators under Sections 126 and 170 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS),” the officer said.

Security agencies will deploy Facial Recognition System (FRS) technology to monitor over 2,800 individuals with criminal antecedents who were flagged during the July protests.

(With inputs from Suruchi Kumari)