India’s Union Ministry of Home Affairs has asked all states and Union Territories to coordinate with Delhi Police and take preventive measures to stop protesters from travelling to the national capital ahead of a planned demonstration by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), The Hindu reported.
In a letter to state chief secretaries and police chiefs on Friday, Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan flagged the “grave law and order and public order implications” of the planned protest at Jantar Mantar on Saturday.
The protesters are demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over concerns about the Election Commission’s functioning and its handling of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Authorities have introduced sweeping restrictions ahead of the demonstration. These include preventive detentions, train cancellations, the closure of metro stations and the suspension of mobile internet services in parts of central Delhi.
The restrictions have drawn criticism from protest organisers, who have described the measures as intimidation by the authorities.
In its letter, the Union government said Delhi Police had rejected the organisers’ request to hold the demonstration at Jantar Mantar, ANI reported.
The ministry also cited what it described as a “documented history of non-compliance with lawful directions” by the CJP and organisations supporting it during an earlier protest. It alleged that the previous demonstration, involving participants from several states, had disrupted public order and damaged public property, The Hindu reported.
The ministry said intelligence inputs suggested that CJP members and supporters planned to defy prohibitory orders and enter Delhi through multiple routes.
It directed states and Union Territories to “immediately operationalise preventive measures” in coordination with Delhi Police to maintain public order and protect critical infrastructure.
The government also stressed the need for real-time intelligence sharing among state agencies, transit authorities and Delhi Police to ensure coordinated action.
The planned demonstration follows several days of protests by opposition INDIA bloc members in Delhi and other parts of India, calling for Kumar’s resignation over concerns about electoral roll revisions and the functioning of the Election Commission.
