The Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) on Sunday accused the authorities of imposing an “open Emergency” in the national capital, alleging that extensive security restrictions, metro station closures and disruptions to train services were intended to suppress its youth-led movement demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Addressing a joint press conference in New Delhi, CJP activists Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka criticised the heavy security deployment and alleged that the restrictions had inconvenienced ordinary citizens in an attempt to turn public opinion against the protest.
Drawing parallels with the 1975 Emergency, Das alleged that Delhi had effectively been turned into a cantonment, with between 30,000 and 40,000 security personnel deployed across the city.
“The situation across the country right now mirrors an open Emergency. Such repressive conditions have not been witnessed since the dictatorial regime of 1975,” Das said.
He alleged that the deployment included border troops and personnel airlifted from Kashmir, Bengal and Naxal-affected regions. Das said the security measures went beyond restricting protesters and were affecting residents who had no connection with the agitation.
The CJP leader also accused the administration of deliberately disrupting public transport and commercial activity to generate resentment against the movement.
“Shutting down 57 metro stations, suspending trains including Rajdhani services, and forcing markets to close on a Sunday disrupts daily life. The administration is intentionally inconveniencing the public in order to turn sentiment against this youth-led movement,” Das said.
During the press conference, Ranka criticised Delhi Police over the circumstances in which CJP activist Abhijeet Dipke was informed of his grandmother's death while in detention on Saturday.
Dipke's grandmother died following a prolonged illness in Santuk Pimpri village in Maharashtra's Hingoli district, according to the information provided by the police.
“Abhijeet’s grandmother passed away yesterday, and the way Delhi Police conducted themselves upon breaking the news was utterly inhuman. It is shameful to see the police force in the nation's capital behave with such insensitivity,” Ranka said.
He alleged that police personnel had cameras and microphones around Dipke while informing him of the bereavement, turning a moment of personal grief into a spectacle.
The allegations came a day after Delhi witnessed heightened security, mass detentions and a political confrontation over the CJP-led protest at Jantar Mantar. The party and several student organisations had called for demonstrations demanding Kumar's resignation over alleged irregularities in the functioning of the Election Commission.
On Saturday, police detained CJP activists Dipke, Ranka and Das as they were about to disembark from a flight in Delhi, citing the absence of permission for their proposed protest. Barricades were erected at the Ghazipur border, while the gates of 45 metro stations remained closed, prompting opposition parties and protesters to accuse the authorities of curbing democratic rights.
Around 1,000 people were detained across the national capital, including Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal and CPI(M) leader Pinarayi Vijayan. The detentions triggered a political exchange, with opposition leaders accusing the government of dictatorship and the BJP countering with allegations of anarchy.
Delhi Police sources subsequently said all detainees held at detention centres had been released, except CJP leaders, for whom due legal process would be followed.
Police sources also said the extensive security deployment would continue amid the possibility of further protests called by the CJP, the All India Youth Federation (AIYF), the All India Students Federation (AISF) and the Students' Federation of India (SFI).
Police officials, meanwhile, said Dipke had been informed of his grandmother's death with due sensitivity. They said he was told about the funeral timings and offered assistance to travel to his village on humanitarian grounds.
(With inputs from ANI)
