New Delhi, October 2026 : Several Opposition leaders, including former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal and former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, were detained by police on Saturday while attempting to participate in a protest organised by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar in the national capital.
Banerjee was detained along with five Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders, including Derek O’Brien and Dola Sen, from South Avenue in central Delhi. She had staged a sit-in at a bus stop after police prevented her from proceeding towards the proposed protest venue at Jantar Mantar. During the demonstration, Banerjee was seen with a bandage over her mouth.
Speaking in a video statement from inside a police bus, Banerjee accused the government of mistreating the protesters. She said the INDIA bloc would continue its fight to strengthen the voice of the people.
Kejriwal, whose residence had reportedly been surrounded by police personnel since morning, was also detained when he attempted to leave to join the demonstration.
Before being taken into custody, the former Delhi chief minister alleged that police and paramilitary personnel had been deployed extensively across the capital and that people were being prevented from leaving their homes. He accused the authorities of creating an atmosphere of authoritarianism to suppress allegations of electoral irregularities.
Kejriwal urged citizens to join the movement, claiming that the youth were increasingly angry over the issue. He also referred to the reported detentions of CJP leaders Abhijeet Dipke, Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das, along with social media influencer Dhruv Rathee and Ratna Singh.
Meanwhile, Vijayan and Communist Party of India (Marxist) MP John Brittas were among those detained and taken to a detention facility at Chhatrasal Stadium. CPI(M) general secretary M.A. Baby was also reportedly taken into custody.
Earlier in the day, CJP leaders Dipke, Das and Ranka were detained at Indira Gandhi International Airport while travelling to Jantar Mantar to participate in the agitation. The leaders were demanding Kumar's resignation over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The protest was organised to oppose the voter-list revision exercise, which has triggered political controversy and allegations from Opposition parties. The demonstrators questioned the process and demanded accountability from the Election Commission.
The detentions came amid heightened security across Delhi, with police deploying personnel at key locations and taking measures to prevent protesters from reaching the proposed venue after denying permission for the gathering.
The developments intensified the political confrontation over the electoral-roll revision process, with Opposition leaders vowing to continue raising concerns about the exercise.
