Delhi CM Rekha Gupta slams Opposition over CJP anti-SIR protests

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has accused opposition leaders of attempting to turn the national capital into a battleground after police detained political figures and blocked demonstrations against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Saturday.

Writing on X, Gupta targeted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal, describing the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) as their political "B-Team". She said the capital would not be held hostage to political protests stemming from opposition frustration over repeated election defeats.

Authorities deployed around 25,000 police and paramilitary personnel across Delhi to prevent demonstrators from gathering at Jantar Mantar. Officials restricted entry and exit at 45 metro stations, throttled mobile internet services, and suspended incoming trains to halt an estimated 7,000 arriving protesters. No violence was reported.

Detentions and scattered protests

Police detained CJP convener Abhijeet Dipke alongside party leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka at Delhi airport immediately after their flight from Mumbai landed. Arvind Kejriwal and several AAP leaders were also detained as they attempted to lead marches toward the planned demonstration site.

With Jantar Mantar blocked, protesters scattered across central Delhi locations, including Connaught Place, Gole Market, Dilli Haat, and Minto Bridge, attempting to regroup using messaging applications.

Court rejects CJP confinement petition

Meanwhile, the Saket District Court dismissed an urgent application filed by CJP legal wing head Ratna Singh, who alleged police had wrongfully confined her inside a vehicle outside her Jangpura residence.

Chief Judicial Magistrate Abhinav Pandey ruled the plea non-maintainable on procedural grounds. The judge noted that Singh failed to submit a required affidavit under oath, did not specify the exact location of the alleged vehicle, and omitted the names of specific police officers involved.