Opposition leaders launched a fierce verbal assault on the Central Government on Saturday, October 10, over the sweeping security deployment, transit shutdowns, and mass detentions executed across the capital to intercept the Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP) anti-CEC demonstration.
Highlighting widespread anger over the capital’s lockdown-like state, senior Congress MP Shashi Tharoor labeled the government’s pre-emptive measures an “undeclared Emer-GenZ,” while AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal called the situation “worse than the 1975 Emergency”.
“Provide Answers, Not Lathis”: Shashi Tharoor Slams Repression
Expressing shock at the military-style security grid—including spike strips, concrete barriers, internet suspensions, and over 22,000 security personnel—Tharoor questioned why basic democratic questioning was being met with authoritarian force.
”Freedom of movement stands completely shackled… Jantar Mantar was designated precisely so that citizens could voice dissent in the centre of Delhi, and today even the roads leading to it have been declared out of bounds,” Tharoor posted on X. “Our GenZ deserves better than an undeclared Emer-GenZ. A government confident in the fairness of its elections would welcome questions… The government should provide answers, not lathis; expression, not repression.”
Joining the chorus, Arvind Kejriwal reacted strongly to the in-flight detention of CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke and his core team at Delhi airport: “This is worse than the Emergency. It’s official… we are living under an absolute dictatorship ruled by Modi. Gyanesh must go, but so must Modi”.
500+ Detained Near Jantar Mantar; Heavy Border Barricading
Delhi Police confirmed that approximately 500 protesters arriving in groups from various districts and border points were detained on Saturday morning. Over 200 individuals were picked up around Connaught Place, while CJP legal cell head Ratna Singh and accompanying lawyers were intercepted near central Delhi.
To prevent further arrivals:
- Border Closures: Heavy stone barricades were erected at the Ghazipur border with Uttar Pradesh, while drone surveillance was deployed at the Singhu border.
- Guarded Locations: Cops picked up over 60 protesters who had sought overnight shelter near Bangla Sahib Gurdwara.
- Peace Advisory: In response, the CJP issued a 12-point advisory urging supporters to remain peaceful, constitutionally guided, and non-violent despite provocation.
Contempt Petition Filed in Supreme Court Against DMRC and Union Govt
In a significant legal development, advocate Shailendra Mani Tripathi filed a contempt petition in the Supreme Court against the Union Government, Delhi Police, and the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC).
The plea alleges that authorities committed willful disobedience of the apex court’s October 9 directions by continuing blanket entry/exit gate closures across 45 metro stations and enforcing train cancellations rather than operating a regulated schedule. The petitioner submitted video evidence of shuttered stations, seeking immediate judicial intervention to restore public mobility.
