Jantar Mantar Protest Against CEC Gyanesh Kumar Live: Hundreds of Protesters Detained from Jantar Mantar and Surrounding Areas

The protest in Mumbai intensified as hundreds of protesters gathered at Shivaji Park for a demonstration against Gyanesh Kumar. Actor Naseeruddin Shah also came to the protest and hugged Abhijeet Dipke. Hundreds of protesters started marching towards Shivaji Park, but police denied permission for the protest. Hence, they sat outside the gate, raising slogans against Gyanesh Kumar and singing patriotic songs.

Meanwhile, scriptwriter and lyricist Javed Akhtar wrote a post on X saying that he was happy that some residents near Shivaji Park were asking authorities to cancel the CJP protest over noise pollution. He further added, “I am hundred percent sure that they will raise the same objection with the same intensity if not more when ever there is any jalsa of any political party of Maharashtra is planned at Shivaji park”

Protesters have been detained in huge numbers, with the figure running into hundreds, while some have reported the number to be in the thousands. Those detained include student organisation leaders, political party leaders and supporters. While some remain detained, others have been released and can be seen continuing their protest at the Jantar Mantar site.

Amid all this, AISA shared a video alleging that Delhi Police personnel from Police Station Sector 23, Dwarka, denied first-aid kits to injured protesters.

Youth Congress workers continue to protest against the Chief Election Commissioner, while Delhi Police continue to stop protesters from reaching the protest site at Jantar Mantar. Slogans can be heard from the crowd, including “vote chor, gaddi chod, (Vote thief, leave the chair)” and “ Vote Chor kahan milega? BJP ke daftar main (Where will you find the vote thief? At the BJP office.)”

In Shivaji Park, Maharashtra, protesters are raising slogans demanding the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner. They are carrying posters and pamphlets, while some are using musical instruments and singing songs in support of their demands.

Yogendra Yadav wrote in a post on X, “Today, the youth and people of this country have reminded us of the freedom movement, coming forward without fear, without hesitation. People are being taken into custody from every corner of Delhi, but the people are not stopping. Give your resignation, Gyanesh Kumar. Cancel the SIR!”

Neha shared a video on X showing fellow protesters helping her get out of a police bus. She wrote, “The people are united. Detained protestors are repeatedly being released by the people on the streets!”

Most of the main protest site has been cleared by Delhi Police, with officers detaining people who try to enter the area. A small group of protesters can still be heard raising slogans near Janpath Metro Station, where police continue to restrict their movement.

Despite the detentions, protesters can be seen raising their pamphlets through the windows of police buses and continuing to shout slogans against the CEC and the government.

Former Rajya Sabha MP Brinda Karat has also been detained by the police while trying to enter Jantar Mantar. While in the police detention bus, she said, “Every Street Corner in Delhi Is Jantar Mantar Today!”

Despite the widespread detentions, protesters continued to raise slogans like “Jab Jab Modi Darta Hai Police Ko Aage Karta Hai” and “Jai Bhim.” A large number of protesters came to the Connaught Place area while raising slogans. The number of female police officers in the area is reportedly low. Female protesters are being taken to buses and are allegedly being handled roughly during detention. 

In Mumbai, protesters have started gathering at Shivaji Park, where the “Jail Bharo” protest is going to be conducted by the Cockroach Janata Party. The demand is the same: the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner of India Gyanesh Kumar.

While the police are detaining protesters in and around the Jantar Mantar protest site, protesters continue to arrive from different areas. Due to the restrictions imposed by Delhi Police, including the closure of public transport, diversions, and checkpoints on roads, protesters are choosing to reach the protest site on foot. To avoid detention under Section 163 of the BNSS, they are trying to reach the site individually.

Neha Bora and a group of AISF supporters are being detained by police officers at the protest site as they try to prevent their detention. Parliament Street is the nearest police station, but it is not yet known where the detained protesters are being taken.

Police announcements about the implementation of Section 163 of the BNSS are being made continuously, asking protesters to comply with the prohibitory orders.

Many political leaders have questioned why citizens need permission to hold a protest. TMC MP Mahua Moitra also took to X and wrote that students should be allowed to hold protests if “criminal actions” are being used against democracy. She also expressed support for AISA’s Neha Bora.

AISA national president Neha Bora and Yogendra Yadav are heading towards the protest site along with their supporters, as more than 100 protesters are reportedly being detained by Delhi Police at the site.

A spokesperson for the Cockroach Janta Party, Ashutosh Ranka took to X and questioned the large-scale deployment of police personnel in the Jantar Mantar area. He questioned whether all crimes had ended in Delhi, given that so many police personnel were focused on the protesters.

“All the crime has ended in Delhi, hence the Delhi Police is now free to charge against peaceful protestors,” he wrote.

Amid the Jantar Mantar protest against CEC Gyanesh Kumar, CPI(M) general secretary M.A. Baby said, “Gyanesh Kumar should be arrested for the criminal activity of cutting people’s votes. Removing genuine and eligible people from the voter list is a criminal act. Gyanesh Kumar should be arrested, not us, and he should be prosecuted.”

On the imposition of Section 163 of the BNSS, AISA president Neha Bora shared an important notice on X. She cited several articles of the Indian Constitution and highlighted what she said police officers are required to follow under the Constitution, including no lathi charge, no tear gas, no pellet guns, no police personnel without name plates and no water cannons.

Left organisations All India Students' Association (AISA), Students' Federation of India (SFI), Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), and other student organisations, along with leaders and supporters of political parties, are being detained by Delhi Police. Four to five buses filled with detained leaders and protesters have left the protest site. The security personnel presence have increased in the protest site.

The entry and exit gates of Barakhamba Road Metro Station have also been closed until further notice by the authorities. As the general public continues to face inconvenience, a total of 12 metro stations have now been affected.

Advocate Prashant Bhushan took to X as protesters are being detained from the Jantar Mantar protest site and surrounding areas. He wrote, “Delhi police on orders from Modi/Shah have shut down Central Delhi to prevent Jantar Mantar protest. Shut down 11 metros, imposed prohibitory orders, shut down the internet! The police have laid siege on Jantar Mantar & are detaining people there.”

He further said that politicians were also being detained, including RJD MP Manoj Jha, and noted that all this was happening on Gandhi Jayanti.

Rashtriya Janata Dal MP Manoj Jha has been detained by Delhi Police near the Jantar Mantar protest site amid heightened security over the proposed demonstration against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Several other protesters have also been detained as they reached Jantar Mantar and nearby areas, while police surveillance has intensified, with drones being used to monitor the area.

Ahead of the protest, Delhi Traffic Police has shared a traffic advisory informing commuters about restrictions around Jantar Mantar and nearby areas on October 2. “Commuters are advised to avoid the affected stretches wherever feasible and plan their journeys in advance,” the advisory stated.

Traffic restrictions will be observed in Connaught Place, Patel Chowk, GPO, Tolstoy Marg, Jantar Mantar Road, Parliament Street and adjoining roads. People are advised to avoid these routes if possible, leave early, follow diversion signs and use alternate routes to avoid delays and traffic jams.

Internet services have been shut down across areas around Jantar Mantar. The protest site has also been completely barricaded by police personnel. Several protesters have already been detained by the police, even though the protest is yet to officially begin.

Delhi Police detained Aam Aadmi Party leader Saurabh Bhardwaj after he reached the Jantar Mantar protest site. While being detained by the police, Bhardwaj alleged that women protesters were mishandled and claimed that he was also hurt after being scratched by police personnel. He also urged people to join the protest, saying that he had reached the site without a car and that others could do the same.

A lawyers’ association in Maharashtra’s Palghar district has come out in support of CJP and said it will provide free legal assistance to the protesters. On Friday, October 2, 2026 a spokesperson of the Vasai Lawyers Association, Deigambar Desai responded to a question saying, “Ultimately, democratic values should remain alive, and for that, if they need any such help on the judicial forum, some lawyers like us will definitely do the work for them free of charge.”

Delhi Metro services have been affected across 11 stations amid the protest at Jantar Mantar. Several major routes from Janpath to Patel Chowk, Rajiv Chowk and New Delhi have also been closed. The entry and exit gates at these stations remain shut, causing inconvenience to daily commuters, particularly those travelling through Rajiv Chowk and New Delhi.