Senior opposition figures taken into custody
Delhi Police detained Mamata Banerjee, Arvind Kejriwal and Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday, October 10, as opposition politicians sought to join the Cockroach Janta Party protest in the capital. NDTV reported that Manik Sarkar was also among the former chief ministers taken into custody.
The demonstration was aimed at Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Its organisers were protesting alleged problems with the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. Those complaints are the protesters’ allegations; the reports reviewed here do not establish them as proven electoral wrongdoing.
Sources: Mamata Banerjee, Arvind Kejriwal, P Vijayan Detained During Protest Near Delhi's Jantar Mantar · ‘Bigger than Emergency’: Band-aid over mouth, Mamata Banerjee detained in Delhi protest
South Avenue protest and police restrictions
Banerjee staged a sit-in at a bus stop in South Avenue after police stopped her, according to both publishers. NDTV reported that she and five Trinamool Congress MPs were taken away in a police bus, naming Derek O’Brien and Dola Sen among the group.
She wore a band-aid across her mouth during the protest and later criticised the government’s treatment in a video recorded inside the bus. Her remarks expressed opposition to the police action. The Times of India reported that police continued to detain demonstrators because the planned protest did not have permission.
Security measures extended beyond the proposed gathering. The Times of India described increased checks at Delhi’s entry points and heightened security at several locations as supporters continued their efforts to demonstrate.
Sources: Mamata Banerjee, Arvind Kejriwal, P Vijayan Detained During Protest Near Delhi's Jantar Mantar · ‘Bigger than Emergency’: Band-aid over mouth, Mamata Banerjee detained in Delhi protest
Other leaders and organisers detained
NDTV reported that Vijayan and CPM parliamentarian John Brittas were taken to Chhatrasal Stadium, which was being used as a detention centre. Kejriwal was detained as he attempted to join the protest after police had surrounded his residence that morning.
Earlier, CJP figures Abhijeet Dipke, Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das were detained when their flight arrived in Delhi, NDTV said. The reports establish a series of detentions across the day; they do not provide a final outcome for every person taken into custody.
Sources: Mamata Banerjee, Arvind Kejriwal, P Vijayan Detained During Protest Near Delhi's Jantar Mantar
Prepared with AI assistance from the linked reporting. Banner: AI-generated editorial illustration.
