Shashi Tharoor challenges Delhi restrictions ahead of CJP protest

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor accused Narendra Modi’s government on October 10 of severely restricting movement and expression ahead of a Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest in Delhi. Police said their measures were needed for security.

Returning from Berlin after 2 a.m., Tharoor wrote on X that he encountered checkpoints every few hundred metres, concrete barriers and spike strips. He described the deployment of security forces as resembling preparations for war.

He cited 22,000 police and paramilitary personnel across the city, 250 cancelled trains and 45 closed Metro stations. He also reported young people being detained at home and on streets in and around Delhi.

Tharoor particularly criticised the suspension of internet services in central Delhi. He said even roads leading to Jantar Mantar, a designated venue for dissent, were inaccessible. He questioned the authorities’ priorities by comparing the scale of the operation with the need to protect women in the capital.

Calling the situation an “Emer-GenZ”, a play on Emergency and the name of the younger generation, he urged the government to answer questions about electoral fairness. Barricades would deepen suspicion rather than restore confidence, he argued. He also asked whether the authorities would impose the restrictions again if released demonstrators returned on Monday.

Reports of the police operation said more than 500 people attempting to reach Jantar Mantar were detained on October 10. Separately, police sources said more than 600 people with criminal records were held preventively across the capital’s 15 districts.

Delhi Police denied permission for the CJP demonstration, citing security considerations and procedural requirements. Officers increased surveillance around the protest venue and other sensitive areas, monitored potential mobilisation and urged compliance with prohibitory orders in New Delhi.

CJP is protesting against Election Commission chief Gyanesh Kumar. Organisers allege manipulation of voter lists during the Special Intensive Revision and changes involving voter-registration Form 6. Those allegations explain the protest demands rather than establish electoral wrongdoing.