Delhi braces for CJP protest, alerts PG owners, gets 23,000 troopers, 150 bodycams

Delhi is bracing for the Cockroach Janta Party's October 10 protest, with police reaching out to PG owners and educational institutions to discourage students from joining the mobilisation. The Centre has provided 23,000 CAPF personnel to Delhi Police, while 150 bodycams have been issued to frontline personnel for the CJP protest against CEC Gyanesh Kumar.Delhi Police have identified more than 2,000 protesters with alleged criminal antecedents who took part in the CJP's July agitation. (Image: Getty)New Delhi,Oct 8, 2026 19:03 ISTDelhi is preparing for the Cockroach Janta Party's (CJP) protest on October 10 at Jantar Mantar, with the Centre providing 221 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), or roughly 23,000 personnel, to the Delhi Police. The police are simultaneously tracking thousands of people identified from the CJP's earlier protest, monitoring buses headed towards the national capital and is reportedly reaching out to universities and paying guest (PG) accommodation owners to discourage students from joining the demonstration.The latest protest is aimed at getting Gyanesh Kumar to resign as the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) over the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The CJP has demanded Kumar's resignation and has sought changes to the electoral process.As a pilot, the CJP held a protest in Bengaluru on Thursday, which was also attended by YouTuber Dhruv Rathee and actor Prakash Raj. Rathee has requested people to participate in the October 10 rally in New Delhi.The 221 CAPF companies have been provided by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to Delhi Police from October 8 and 12. According to the Indian Express newspaper, this is one of the largest deployments of central forces for law-and-order duties in the capital during a protest. The additional forces include personnel being brought in from Jammu and Kashmir, West Bengal and Chhattisgarh. India Today's correspondent Jitendra Bahadur Singh, citing sources, reported that 50 additional CAPF companies are being deployed, taking the number of CAPF companies assisting Delhi Police to more than 200 and the overall central-force deployment to around 20,000 personnel.The additional forces are expected to assist with crowd management, security around key government buildings and law-and-order duties in central Delhi. According to PTI, at least 15,000 Delhi Police personnel are also expected to be deployed on the ground.DELHI POLICE LOOKS BACK AT CJP'S JULY PROTEST AND IDENTIFIES 2,800 CRIMINALS A key part of the security plan involves identifying people who attended the CJP's July agitation over the NEET-UG paper leak which culminated after BJP MP Dharmendra Pradhan resigned as the Union Education Minister.According to officials cited by The Indian Express newspaper, police have identified around 2,800 people through the facial recognition system who allegedly have criminal antecedents and were present during the July protest. Station house officers (SHOs) have been asked to monitor whether any of them are travelling towards the New Delhi district ahead of October 10.Police have also been asked to track people, including bus operators and other suppliers, who helped organise logistics during the previous agitation. Officers are checking bus bookings to determine who is hiring vehicles, how many people are being transported and where they are headed.The directions extend to educational institutions and student accommodation. According to the Hindustan Times (HT) newspaper, police have been instructed to speak to university and college heads and urge them to ensure students do not participate in the protest. Officers have also been asked to contact PG owners in major student hubs and advise them to discourage students from joining the demonstration.Possible routes into Delhi are also being watched closely, particularly the eastern and Shahdara borders with Uttar Pradesh and routes from Rajasthan in the southwest. Barricades are expected at several entry points.Since October 1, Delhi Police have already requisitioned at least 20 CAPF companies, with nearly 4,000 security personnel deployed across the New Delhi area, according to PTI. Several stretches around Jantar Mantar have also been restricted.Police are additionally preparing temporary detention facilities at stadiums in case large numbers of protesters arrive, refuse to disperse and insist on courting arrest, PTI reported, citing anonymous officials.150 BODYCAMS PROVIDED TO DELHI POLICE FOR CJP PROTESTSThe security operation also includes increased use of body-worn cameras.According to PTI, Delhi Police have issued bodycams to officers and personnel deployed across the New Delhi area, particularly those involved in crowd management and security around protest sites and roads leading to the Election Commission of India office.Around 150 bodycams have been deployed, PTI quoted police sources as saying, as the devices will provide a real-time video record of interactions between officers and protesters.The move comes after allegations of manhandling and sexual harassment were made by three women journalists during a protest against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar at Jantar Mantar on October 2. Police have denied the allegations.A Delhi Police source told PTI that bodycam recordings could help establish what happened during confrontations and provide evidence when allegations are made against either protesters or police personnel.DELHI POLICE BEEFS UP SECURITY, CJP SAYS IT WILL PROTEST NO MATTER WHATThe CJP has said it will go ahead with the October 10 demonstration despite Delhi Police not granting permission for the proposed protest.CJP co-convener Saurav Das posted on X on Thursday questioning the police's authority to appeal to citizens not to join the protest."Who the hell is a police force to 'appeal' to citizens to join or not join a protest?" Das wrote, calling the right to protest a constitutionally guaranteed fundamental right. He said the group would peacefully protest and challenge the authorities to provide Jantar Mantar or "see entire Delhi turn into it".Delhi Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) president Saurabh Bharadwaj has alleged on X that several students and volunteers associated with AAP and ASAP had been arrested and taken to undisclosed locations. He also alleged that their phones had been switched off.In a separate post, Bharadwaj alleged that a large police and paramilitary deployment had reached AAP MLA Kuldeep Kumar's residence ahead of the October 10 protest, claiming there was an attempt to arrest him."Huge Police and paramilitary force at MLA Kuldeep Kumar's house to arrest him before Jantar Mantar protest of 10th October. BJP Govt so scared of GenZ protest," AAP's Delhi president posted on X.The security build-up comes after several days of protests in Delhi over the SIR exercise, including demonstrations in which opposition leaders were detained. With the CJP and allied student groups planning a fresh mobilisation on October 10, Delhi Police is preparing not just for the crowd at Jantar Mantar but for the possibility of organised movement towards the capital from outside the city.- Ends(Written by Avinash Kateel)