The Indian state machinery has moved to ensure that Jantar Mantar does not become the site of a second Cockroach Janata Party agitation.

Accounts from Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat describe police warning students against attending, calling activists and their families, visiting homes and offices, and detaining people travelling to Delhi for the October 10 demonstration.

At a paying guest accommodation near Delhi University, a student stated that police warned residents that attending could lead to FIRs and hurt their job prospects. In Madhya Pradesh, an All India Students’ Federation (AISF) member said police detained her and others from a Pune to Delhi train at Itarsi in Madhya Pradesh. As of midnight on October 9, she said she remained locked inside a resort. Deepak Baliyan, co-in-charge of the CJP, told Newslaundry that Alwar police had arrived at his house and asked him to come to the police station. 

The protest has been organised by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), All India Students’ Association (AISA) and AISF, and supported by the Aam Aadmi Party. Senior police officials told Newslaundry that preparations were “stricter” than those for the July protests and that police would try to prevent people from reaching Jantar Mantar.

In a major development, Delhi Police also wrote to the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) asking it to close entry and exit gates at 57 metro stations from 9 pm on October 9 until the situation normalises, ahead of the proposed protest at Jantar Mantar tomorrow.

Delhi Police hold meeting at PG near DU, approach residents

A Delhi University student, speaking to Newslaundry on condition of anonymity, said Delhi Police came to their paying guest accommodation in Shakti Nagar during dinner and held a meeting inside the mess.

The student said the police appealed to them in an “emotional manner”, warning them that FIRs could be registered against them, and that they could be detained, and that this could make it difficult for them to get jobs in the future.

The student also said the police reminded them that their parents had sent them to Delhi to study and not to participate in protests. 

The student said that, following the PG collapse tragedy in Satya Niketan last month, such meetings had been held regularly, during which police helped students understand safety measures.

Delhi Police sources told Newslaundry that preparations for the October 10 protest were “stricter” than those for the July protests. According to them the police would try to prevent people from reaching Jantar Mantar and were monitoring movement and mobilisation.

The sources also claimed that meetings had been held at the university and hostel levels to make students aware that gathering near Jantar Mantar and adjoining areas would be illegal because prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) had been imposed.

Hindustan Times had earlier reported that Delhi Police had directed station house officers to monitor protesters with alleged criminal antecedents, track buses headed towards the New Delhi district and engage with educational institutions and paying guest accommodation owners to discourage students from joining the demonstration.

Residents also asked not to participate

The police outreach has also extended beyond students. A resident of the Turkman Gate area told Newslaundry that police held meetings with local groups, urging them not to attend any protests in the capital.

The Hindu had........

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