Delhi Police registered 20 FIRs after the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) staged a protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Oct. 10 in Delhi. The demonstration, which entered its second day on Sunday, marched toward Jantar Mantar, demanding the CEC’s resignation.
Police detained more than 7,000 protesters, including CPI(M) Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas, who was reportedly beaten and left on the roadside with visible injuries. Social media posts from the CPI(M) claim the MP was dropped by the police, sparking accusations of excessive force.
Students' Federation of India, All India Students Association and Krantikari Yuva Sangathan members were among those arrested. SFI president Adarsh M Saji was filmed with blood on his forehead, a detail that has become a rallying cry for the group.
Former chief ministers Arvind Kejriwal, Mamata Banerjee, Pinarayi Vijayan and Manik Sarkar also faced detention while attempting to join the march, illustrating the protest’s wide political backing. Earlier on Saturday, CJP leaders such as Abhijeet Dipke, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were also taken into custody.
The police reported injuries to 15 security personnel and arrested four men linked to the right‑wing Raksha Dal for assaulting students and women. A formal inquiry into the alleged assaults on MP Brittas and other detainees has been ordered by the Delhi Police.