Delhi Police Deny Permission for Cockroach Janta Party Jantar Mantar Protest

The Delhi Police have denied permission for the Cockroach Janta Party's proposed protest at Jantar Mantar on October 10. Joint Commissioner of Police Nupur Prasad stated on Friday that the decision was made because the group did not follow conditions agreed to during a past demonstration.

Application Details

The decision comes two days after CJP co-convener Saurav Das submitted an intimation letter to the police on October 7. The police noted that the application was submitted at the last minute and violated rules requiring such notices at least ten days before a protest. The CJP maintained that it was only informing the authorities because Jantar Mantar is a designated protest site. Student organisations, including the All India Students' Association, joined the call for the October 10 demonstration to demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, an independent inquiry into electoral roll revisions, and reforms to the appointment of Election Commissioners.

Security Measures

In response to the situation, authorities have imposed prohibitory orders in the New Delhi district and directed the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation to close the entry and exit gates of 57 metro stations from Friday night until Saturday. Meanwhile, the Crime Branch registered a fresh First Information Report to investigate whether 2,873 people flagged with criminal records during a July 20 CJP protest were involved in prior violence.

Context

Jantar Mantar has long served as a designated venue for public demonstrations in the national capital under police regulation. Authorities routinely enforce advance notice rules and security restrictions to manage crowd safety and traffic flow during major political gatherings.