Jantar Mantar protest: nearly 1,000 detained

On 2 October 2026, demonstrations were held in New Delhi and Mumbai demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. In the capital, Delhi Police detained protesters at Jantar Mantar and surrounding areas. Police initially said more than 700 people had been detained; the figure later rose to nearly 1,000, according to police sources cited by PTI. Those detained included former Delhi chief minister Atishi and Aam Aadmi Party leaders Saurabh Bharadwaj, Sanjeev Jha and Sanjay Singh. In Mumbai, thousands gathered at Shivaji Park for a protest organised by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) despite police denying permission for the gathering.

Background

The Special Intensive Revision is an exercise conducted by the Election Commission of India to update electoral rolls. According to the Commission, the SIR is intended to remove duplicate, deceased, or otherwise ineligible voters from the rolls. Opposition parties and student organisations have alleged that the exercise has led to the mass deletion of eligible voters. The Commission has denied these allegations.

Former chief election commissioner O.P. Rawat was quoted by The Hindu as saying it was the first time that so many eligible electors had lost their vote due to an SIR. The CJP, a youth organisation led by Abhijeet Dipke, had called for the 2 October demonstrations as part of a campaign seeking Kumar's resignation. The date coincided with Gandhi Jayanti, the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

Chronology of 2 October

Time / period	Event
Morning	Protesters began gathering at Jantar Mantar in central New Delhi. Police stopped around 700 SFI members at the Ashoka Road roundabout at approximately 11 am, detaining several of them, according to a police source cited by the New Indian Express.
2 October	Internet services were suspended for 12 hours within a 1.5 kilometre radius of Jantar Mantar, according to the Hindustan Times. Airtel, Reliance Jio and Vodafone Idea were ordered to suspend services in the area.
Afternoon	Delhi Police detained protesters through the day. An early estimate by the Press Trust of India put the number above 500; police then said more than 700 had been detained from Jantar Mantar and nearby areas. Later reports put the figure at nearly 1,000. The Indian Express separately reported 550 detained in Delhi.
Afternoon	In Mumbai, thousands of young men and women reached Shivaji Park for the CJP protest despite barricades on entry routes from Dadar railway station, The Hindu reported. Actor Naseeruddin Shah was reported by Times Now to have joined the gathering.
Evening	Delhi metro stations that had been shut during the protest were restored to service, according to Outlook's live coverage.
3 October	Delhi Police registered three FIRs — two at Parliament Street police station and one at Connaught Place — under Section 223 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita in connection with the previous day's protests, the Indian Express reported. Protests resumed near Jantar Mantar, with senior advocate Kapil Sibal, Prashant Bhushan, AISA president Neha Bora and activist Yogendra Yadav joining; police carried out fresh detentions, Mathrubhumi reported.

Detentions in Delhi

Those detained in the capital included AAP's Delhi president Saurabh Bharadwaj and MLA Sanjeev Jha, who were taken into custody after reaching Jantar Mantar, and former chief minister Atishi. Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh was stopped at North Avenue while attempting to reach the protest site, the New Indian Express reported.

Members of student and youth organisations were also detained, including activists of AISA, SFI, NSUI and DYFI. NSUI national president Vinod Jakhar was detained during a foot march from the organisation's office towards Jantar Mantar, according to the Millennium Post.

A dispute arose over permission for the gathering. Police said permission had not been granted. Bharadwaj said in a video message that the AAP had submitted letters seeking permission about a week earlier, and questioned why permission was required at Jantar Mantar, which he described as a designated protest venue. "We are exercising our democratic right to raise our concerns," he said.

Delhi Police DCP Sachin Sharma said some people sustained injuries at the Jantar Mantar site and that authorities were assessing the situation, according to the Daily Jagran's live report.

Statements and responses

Former CJP spokesperson Vijeta Dahiya, who was present at Jantar Mantar, defended the demonstrators' right to protest. "We are being told not to go here or there... No one wants to protest, but when you make mistakes, and we have to protest against them," she said, according to ANI. "Protest anywhere in the country; it is a matter of right to vote," she added.

AISA leader Neha criticised the police action in a post on X, writing: "History will remember you Delhi Police and whose side you were on, who you were trying to save and who you attacked."

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) condemned the detention of young protesters in Delhi, The Hindu reported.

On the central allegation, the two sides' positions were reported as follows. According to the protesters, the Election Commission manipulated voter rolls in ways that favour Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party. The Election Commission denied the allegations, maintaining that the SIR exercise is aimed at removing duplicate, deceased, or otherwise ineligible voters, TBS News reported.

Current status

On 3 October, Delhi Police registered three FIRs in connection with the previous day's protests — two at Parliament Street police station and one at Connaught Place — under Section 223 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which deals with disobedience of an order issued by a public servant, the Indian Express reported. The cases relate to alleged violation of prohibitory orders imposed across central Delhi under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita. No individuals or organisations were named in the accused column of the FIRs, though the documents mention the organisers and groups involved, Outlook reported.

The agitation resumed on Saturday. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, Prashant Bhushan, AISA president Neha Bora and activist Yogendra Yadav marched towards Jantar Mantar, and police carried out fresh detentions, Mathrubhumi reported. Police issued a notice stating that no permission had been granted for any protest on 3 October and that Section 163 remained in force across the New Delhi district.

The Samyukt Kisan Morcha said it would take the SIR and voting rights issue to village mahapanchayats beginning Saturday, 3 October, Mathrubhumi reported. CJP leader Abhijeet Dipke announced a further protest at Jantar Mantar on 10 October if Kumar does not resign, according to the Daily Jagran.

As of 3 October, no resignation had been announced, and the Election Commission had not issued a detailed response to the specific allegations beyond its stated position on the SIR. Reported detention figures for 2 October varied: police initially said more than 700, later reports put the figure at nearly 1,000, and the Indian Express separately reported 550 detained in Delhi.