BJP leader's daughter detained near Bangla Sahib amid CJP protest in Delhi: ‘For sitting in a park’

Yashaswinee Raje Singh, daughter of former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Vikram Singh from Uttar Pradesh, has been detained amid the protest against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar in Delhi.

Delhi has been turned into a fortress, with more than 40,000 Delhi Police and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) personnel deployed, and barricades and spike strips installed amid the Abhijeet Dipke-led CJP protest at Jantar Mantar. The protesters are seeking CEC Gyanesh Kumar's resignation over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

“Detained near Bangla Sahib for sitting in a park. currently being held in Keshav Puram police station,” she wrote on X.

Singh is the daughter of Vikram Singh, a prominent BJP leader and former MLA, who represented UP’s Fatehpur Sadar constituency.

She gained immense prominence during the June–July student protests demanding the resignation of the then Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged paper leaks. She actively backed the CJP campaign at the time.

Several big faces detained

CJP's key faces, including founder and convener Abhijeet Dipke and co-conveners Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, were detained inside the plane upon landing at Delhi airport on Saturday.

Meanwhile, CPI(M) Keralam said on X that party leaders, including MA Baby, Pinarayi Vijayan, MV Govindan Master, A Vijayaraghavan, KK Shailaja, John Brittas MP, KN Balagopal, Brinda Karat and PK Sreemathi, were detained upon arriving at Jantar Mantar.

In a self-made video posted on X, political activist Yogendra Yadav alleged that a car without police markings was following them on their way to the protest site.

“We fear that at any moment we too could be detained or abducted, so I'm making this video so that you can know what's happening with us. One thing is clear—we may be detained, arrested, or whatever they wish, but this struggle will not stop,” he said.

Apart from this, All India Students’ Association (AISA) national president Neha Bora was also detained near Safdarjung airport as police stepped up a crackdown on protesters on Saturday.

40,000 cops deployed in Delhi

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 the CEC over alleged electoral roll irregularities.

Jantar Mantar, the intended focal point of the protest, has been sealed off even to media personnel. The connecting roads were also 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).