Speaking at the India Today Conclave Mumbai 2026, Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) MP Supriya Sule strongly condemned the police detention of protesters who had gathered in Delhi for a demonstration, labelling the government's response as a cowardly act.
Sule addressed the issue during a conversation with India Today Group Consulting Editor Rajdeep Sardesai, noting that the planned gathering at Jantar Mantar by the Cockroach Janta Party leadership was intended to be peaceful. She expressed firm disapproval of how authorities managed the demonstrators.
The controversy followed the detention of roughly 500 individuals in the national capital who planned to protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Key CJP leaders including Abhijit Dipke, Sourav Das, and Ashutosh Ranka were intercepted and detained from an incoming Air India flight shortly after landing.
In response to the heavy-handed security measures, which included the deployment of personnel, closures of metro station gates, the cancellation of around 250 trains, and localized internet blackouts in central Delhi, Sule drew a sharp comparison to the 1975 Emergency.
The four-time parliamentarian from Baramati stated that the unfolding events mirrored the historical period, characterizing current conditions as an unannounced Emergency. She pointed to the sudden loss of internet connectivity late at night as evidence of severe restrictions on civil liberties.
Sule further warned that young demonstrators, particularly those belonging to Generation Z, will continue to voice their concerns on the streets when they feel their constitutional rights are under threat. She concluded by expressing deep concern over the overall state of affairs, arguing that a sense of anarchy has taken hold and citizens are left with few trusted institutions to approach for recourse.