‘PM Modi is scared of youth’: Abhijeet Dipke on way to Delhi for Jantar Mantar protest
Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke called Prime Minister Narendra Modi a “dictator” and said that he is “afraid of the youth of the nation” as he left for Delhi from Mumbai to lead the protest at Jantar Mantar on Saturday.
“Narendra Modi is a dictator. He is scared, which is why he has closed the Delhi Metro, roads, everything. If he is this scared of the youth of the nation, why is he sitting in the PM's post?” he told reporters.
Questioning the curbs on Delhi Metro and heavy security blanket, Dipke asked in a conversation with news agency ANI later: "Do Narendra Modi and Amit Shah want to wage war against the people of their own country? Is Gyanesh Kumar so dear to them that they would unleash their police and army forces upon their own citizens?"
Dipke said that Modi is “afraid as he fears that the people of this country will not vote for him after this”.
Defending the group's planned protest at Jantar Mantar, he said, “Protesting is our fundamental right. Article 19 grants us the fundamental right to protest in a democratic and peaceful manner, and that is exactly what we intend to do.”
More than 40,000 personnel deployed
With a massive gathering expected on Saturday, the Capital has been turned into a fortress, with more than 40,000 Delhi Police and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) personnel deployed to prevent protesters from converging on Jantar Mantar for a demonstration called by the CJP against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged electoral roll irregularities.
Jantar Mantar, the intended focal point of the protest, was sealed off even to media personnel. Its connecting roads were barricaded and manned by security forces, with loudspeakers at three key entry-exit points broadcasting warnings in Hindi and English against gatherings, processions, road blockades and other prohibited activities under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).
Delhi Police said more than 15,000 of its personnel had been deployed to handle Saturday’s anticipated protest, with around 26,000 central force personnel expected in the city.
One of the heaviest deployments was at the Tolstoy Marg-Sansad Marg intersection, a key approach to Jantar Mantar, and outside theParliament Street police station. At least two layers of barricades blocked pedestrian and vehicular movement towards the protest site. The carriageway leading to the Ashoka Road roundabout was blocked at Connaught Place’s Outer Circle, with traffic diverted to the opposite carriageway.
Security arrangements were tightened across central Delhi, with barricades, police vehicles and security personnel deployed along key routes.
A senior police officer said the New Delhi district had been divided into 20 zones, each headed by an officer of deputy commissioner of police rank. Barricades had been installed at 37 identified points from where protesters could potentially enter.
Officials privy to the deployment details said that CAPFs were also asked to send women personnel, including physically trained recruits, to manage and detain women protesters. Around 5,000 personnel from Haryana and Uttar Pradesh could also be deployed, the officer said.
Also read: CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke meets Gauri Lankesh’s kin in Bengaluru, calls them his ‘new family’
Transport and communications restrictions
The restrictions extend well beyond the barricades. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) initially announced that entry and exit at 57 stations would be suspended from 9pm on Friday through Saturday, before revising the list late at night to 45 stations.
In a separate order, Delhi Police directed the suspension of mobile internet services within a four-kilometre radius of the Janpath-Kartavya Path crossing from 10pm on Friday to 10pm on Saturday. The order, dated October 9, was issued under the Telecommunications Act, 2023, and the Telecommunications (Temporary Suspension of Services) Rules, 2024, and directed Airtel, Vodafone Idea, Jio and MTNL to implement the suspension.
Also read: Public safety, past lapses: Why Delhi Police denied CJP permission for Jantar Mantar protest
A late-night Delhi Traffic Police advisory warned of disruption across central Delhi, with diversions at 30 locations from 6am, depending on the situation. Affected stretches include Dhaula Kuan flyover, Jhandewalan, Mandi House, Minto Road, Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg, Lodhi Road flyover, Patel Chowk, Rail Bhawan, Windsor Place, and junctions around Connaught Place. Jantar Mantar Road, Ashoka Road, Sansad Marg, Janpath and Barakhamba Road could also see restrictions. Commuters were advised to avoid non-essential travel and plan journeys to railway stations, inter-state bus terminals and the airport in advance.
The Railways also cancelled mail and express trains scheduled to arrive at New Delhi and Hazrat Nizamuddin stations between 4am and 2pm on Saturday, citing the likelihood of severe road congestion. The cancellations apply to trains scheduled to depart their originating stations after 2pm on Friday and reach the two stations during the specified window.
Police have also been visiting hotels, guest houses, hostels, paying guest facilities and other temporary accommodation across the Capital to question occupants considered suspicious. Officers have been asked to scrutinise stays between October 8 and 11, large groups, particularly people in their 20s and early 30s, and visitors’ stated reasons for coming to Delhi, officials said.
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