Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas and All India Students’ Association president Neha were among several protestors allegedly injured by security forces as they were being detained in the capital on Sunday (October 11, 2026), the second day of a protest called by youth organisations demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Despite the Supreme Court’s directives on Saturday (October 10), around a dozen journalists were detained on Sunday (October 11) while covering the protest at different locations. There was no official announcement by Delhi Police on the total number of detentions on Sunday.
Leader of the Opposition (LoP) and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, meanwhile, announced a march to the Supreme Court on Monday (October 12), calling the “youth, all opposition parties, civil society groups, all those who believe in democracy and stand by the Constitution of India,” to join the procession.
Security set to be tightened on October 12
The unprecedented security arrangements in the New Delhi area — imposed on October 10, and considerably relaxed after the top court’s hearing earlier in the day — are likely to be back on Monday (October 12) in the wake of Mr. Gandhi’s call. While mobile Internet was restored on Sunday (October 11), residents continued a cautious approach. Despite the festive season, footfall and business remained low in Connaught Place and the central Delhi area that was still interspersed with police barricades.
Activists of different organisations alleged that they were beaten by security forces, which the Delhi Police denied. The police claimed that the protestors were being adamant and not cooperating at the time of detention.
Meanwhile, Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das, Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) leaders who were released on Sunday (October 11) after being detained a day earlier, asserted that the protests would continue till the CEC resigns. He called Prime Minister Narendra Modi the biggest “coward” and urged people to protest peacefully wherever they were. CJP convenor Abhijeet Dipke left for Maharashtra to be with his family, following the demise of his grandmother.
New epicentre of protest
As security forces continued to block all entrances to Jantar Mantar, the designated protest site in the capital, the agitation shifted to other parts of the city, with Connaught Place in the heart of the national capital becoming the new epicentre of the protest.
A series of protests broke out in the outer circle of Connaught Place, starting from a march carried out by various students groups, including All India Students’ Federation (AISF), the Students’ Federation of India (SFI), the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) and the Krantikari Yuva Sangathan (KYS), followed by a march led by AISA and then by the Revolutionary Workers’ Party of India (RWPI) and the Disha Students’ Organisation. All of them were detained by security personnel.
In the evening, women SFI activists doing a ‘Tiranga Yatra’ were detained from Connaught Place after 6 p.m. and taken away in a bus by security forces. The SFI termed the detention of women post 6 p.m. as illegal and alleged that the women activists were beaten by male officers.
By evening, security was stepped up in Connaught Place and security personnel detained many people, including some who were just talking to the media.
The CJP’s leaders, however, are seeking a return to Jantar Mantar. Mr. Ranka, Mr. Das, and Ms. Singh plan to visit the Parliament Street police station to seek a date for holding a peaceful protest at Jantar Mantar. “Delhi Police can give us a date for Jantar Mantar in 24 hours, or we will give another protest call ourselves,” Mr. Ranka said.
Journalists detained again
At least seven journalists were detained on Sunday (October 11), from different parts of the city while covering the protest, despite many of them wearing their ID cards around their necks. Many of them were taking videos on their phones. The Delhi Police claimed that the reporters were working “too close” to the protestors while they were being detained and may have been detained because of “confusion”.
During the day, some student activists were detained in buses which had cage-like structures resembling police lockups, which is uncommon while detaining student protestors in Delhi.
On Saturday (October 10), 45 metro stations were shut down in the capital, while internet services were blocked around the Jantar Mantar area. Both the metro and internet services resumed on Sunday after a rap from the Supreme Court. However, residents continued to have a cautious approach, and footfall at businesses remained low in the central Delhi area which remained under heavy barricading.
Published – October 11, 2026 10:59 pm IST
