Behind CJP crackdown, an Oct 4 MHA meeting that told states: notice, detain, check funding

A query sent to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) spokesperson did not elicit a response.

Six days before the Cockroach Janata Party’s (CJP) protest at Jantar Mantar, the Union Home Secretary met several state DGPs and select police commissioners and asked them to make sure that those who had attended similar protests in the past did not leave their hometowns for Delhi, The Indian Express has learnt.

Sources said the instructions at the October 4 meeting were to issue notices, carry out preventive detentions if necessary, and find out the protesters’ “sources of funding”. A second meeting was held by the Union Home Ministry on October 8 to check preparedness.

In Maharashtra, home state of CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, the meeting was followed the same day by a “confidential letter” from the DGP’s office to police units across the state. Notices have been served on would-be protesters since then, and the Mumbai Police detained over 200 people on Friday.

A query sent to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) spokesperson did not elicit a response.

Behind the exercise, sources said, is the belief in the security establishment that the earlier CJP protests at Jantar Mantar, which led to Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation as Education Minister in July, gathered momentum because the crowd strength had been underestimated. “It was believed that the earlier protests in Delhi that led to Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation were not given much importance due to which massive crowds managed to gather there,” a source said.

This time, the Delhi Police asked the MHA to ensure that people did not reach Delhi at all, since large crowds would be difficult to manage. Maharashtra was considered particularly important. It was believed that many from the state would participate since Dipke is from Maharashtra. A source said it was also generally believed that the state had many active Left organisations that would put their might behind the protest.

Instructions at the October 4 meeting also covered those who belonged to certain organisations, who were to be stopped from travelling to Delhi along with past protesters. The same day, sources said, a confidential letter went out from the Maharashtra DGP’s office to several police commissionerates and districts, asking the police to act on similar lines.

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The letter, the contents of which were accessed by The Indian Express, was sent across the state under the signature of Inspector General (Law & Order) Lakhmi Gautam. It mentions the Jantar Mantar protest called by the CJP on October 10, and asks the police “tyana pravrutta kara” (dissuade them from attending the Jantar Mantar event) and, for that, “yogya te pratibandhak karvahi karave” (take necessary precautionary measures). Several notices issued to protesters on October 4 cite the same “confidential letter” as the basis on which they were being served.

“The DGP instructed that no detentions should be carried out and hence notices were issued by the police units based on the letter sent out to them by the DGP office,” the source said.

A day later, on October 5, Dipke posted on X that the Maharashtra Police “isn’t perfect after all”, and the next day addressed a press conference on the notices being issued to CJP members in the state.

An officer from the Maharashtra DGP’s office, however, claimed that fewer than 50 notices may have been issued, and that the state police had carried out no detentions.

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“Accordingly, the Home Secretary took a meeting on October 4 and later on October 8 to check preparedness. If it was found that a particular person who had earlier been to these protests had managed to leave their hometown, the agencies alerted MHA and the local police unit was asked to respond to how the lapse took place,” the source said.

While the Maharashtra Police issued notices, the Mumbai Police went further. Sources in the Mumbai Police said over 200 people were detained from various parts of the city on Friday so that they could not leave for Delhi for Saturday’s protest. “They were detained under sections of the Maharashtra Police Act,” the source said. “Every force was dealing with the mechanism that they felt was most effective,” an official said.

© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd

Mohamed Thaver is a highly specialized journalist with the Expertise and Authority required to report on complex law enforcement and legal issues. With a career dedicated to the crime beat for over a decade, his work provides readers with informed and trustworthy insights into Maharashtra's security and justice systems. Experience & Authority Core Focus: Has been exclusively covering the crime beat for over a decade, building deep, specialized knowledge in the field. Geographical Authority: Currently focuses heavily on law enforcement and policy in Maharashtra, providing authoritative coverage of the state's security apparatus. Key Beats: Law Enforcement: Reports on the operations of the Maharashtra Police and the Mumbai Crime Branch. Policy & Administration: Covers the Maharashtra Home Department, focusing on policy matters related to handling law and order and the evolution of the police force. Judiciary: Has significant past experience covering the courts, giving him a comprehensive understanding of the entire criminal justice process from investigation to verdict. Specialized Interest (Cyber & Forensics): Demonstrates Expertise in modern investigative techniques, with a keen focus on cyber crime and forensics, reporting on how these technologies assist complex crime investigations. Content Focus: His reports revolve around police probes, the evolution of the force, and state policy, ensuring his content is highly relevant and detailed. Credentials & Trustworthiness Mohamed Thaver’s long-standing specialization in the crime beat—combined with his focus on technological aspects like cyber crime and his direct coverage of major institutions like the Mumbai Crime Branch and the Maharashtra Home Department—underscores his Trustworthiness and status as an expert source for detailed and reliable journalism on law and order. He tweets @thaver_mohamed ... Read More

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