Over 200 detained as Delhi protest crackdown continues despite SC intervention

Over 200 protesters were detained in Delhi on Sunday as they attempted to march towards Jantar Mantar, despite the Supreme Court intervening over the crackdown on demonstrations called by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) and several student organisations, demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's resignation.The detentions continued throughout the day, with protesters picked up from Connaught Place, RK Ashram Marg, Vijay Chowk and other locations as police maintained a heavy security presence across the capital.Several demonstrators were dragged onto police buses while raising slogans against the Election Commission, with videos of the detentions circulating on social media.Journalists covering the protests were also detained, according to visuals shared online. Some were seen displaying their press identification cards to police personnel as they were taken away. The action came a day after a major security clampdown prevented CJP supporters and several other protesters from reaching Jantar Mantar.The Supreme Court took up concerns over the detentions and restrictions surrounding the protests, seeking a response from the government on allegations of illegal detention and the handling of demonstrators. The court's intervention, however, did not prevent fresh detentions on Sunday, as student groups and CJP supporters attempted to assemble at different points in the city.WOMEN PROTESTERS DETAINED, SFI RAISES SAFETY CONCERNSThe Students' Federation of India (SFI) organised a women's march in Connaught Place around 6.30 pm. The organisation later alleged that several women protesters were detained by male police personnel after 6 pm, calling the action illegal.In a series of social media posts, the SFI claimed that police buses carrying detained women had no female personnel inside and were occupied by male officers. It also alleged that some women were being held in buses without lights, raising concerns about their safety and the conditions in which they were being detained.The organisation said several of its women members had been freshly detained during the evening. These claims could not be independently verified.Visuals from Connaught Place showed demonstrators marching through the Inner Circle and shouting slogans demanding Gyanesh Kumar's resignation. Police personnel moved in to disperse the protesters, with several seen being held by their arms and pulled towards waiting buses. Some resisted as officers dragged them along the road.The SFI alleged that hundreds of its activists had been detained and taken to Surajmal Stadium in Nangloi. Those detained included its national president, Adarsh M Saji, Delhi secretary Sooraj Elamon, and Central Executive Committee member Abhijith Manilal.The organisation also alleged that its leaders were assaulted inside police vehicles that it described as cage-like, with partitions, latches and mesh covering the windows and doors.AISA PRESIDENT AMONG THOSE DETAINEDAll India Students' Association (AISA) president Neha Bora was detained near Vijay Chowk during the afternoon along with other protesters.Visuals showed Bora raising slogans with fellow demonstrators before police personnel moved in to detain them. She was seen running as officers pursued her, before several personnel blocked her path and caught hold of her. Women police personnel grabbed her by the arms, while other officers held her arms and legs and dragged her away.Bora was also seen clinging to barricades as fellow protesters tried to prevent police from taking her into custody. She was eventually detained.AISA protesters marching from RK Ashram Marg metro station were also detained as police prevented demonstrators from moving towards Jantar Mantar.CPI(M) Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas was among those detained, according to police sources. The SFI alleged that Brittas was assaulted by Delhi Police personnel and later left by the roadside in an injured condition.The organisation further alleged that Father Biju Xavier, vicar of Sacred Heart Church in Delhi, was arrested while recording what it described as police violence on his mobile phone.The CJP said several protesters were detained near Rajiv Chowk metro station and Gurdwara Bangla Sahib. It alleged that doctors and other demonstrators protesting peacefully near the gurdwara were also taken into custody.PROTESTS SPREAD TO DIFFERENT PARTS OF DELHISunday's demonstrations unfolded as a series of flash protests, with student organisations and CJP supporters assembling at different locations in an attempt to reach Jantar Mantar.Members of the Krantikari Yuva Sangathan (KYS) staged a demonstration on boats near Nigambodh Ghat, holding posters and demanding Gyanesh Kumar's resignation. KYS members also protested near Connaught Place. The Revolutionary Workers Party of India (RWPI) was among the other groups that took part in demonstrations across the capital.Videos shared by the CJP showed protesters attempting to form human chains as police personnel moved in to detain them. Connaught Place and RK Ashram Marg were among the main locations where demonstrations and arrests took place.The CJP had announced another demonstration at Jantar Mantar for 10 am on Sunday after police prevented its supporters from gathering at the protest site a day earlier.More than 30,000 police and paramilitary personnel were deployed across Delhi as part of the security arrangements.- Ends