New Delhi: A massive security clampdown unfolded across the national capital as Delhi Police and paramilitary forces deployed heavy barricading, checkpoints, and restrictions to block planned demonstrations. The strict measures led to the detention of young protesters, student demonstrators, and farmer organization leaders in Connaught Place, Central Park, and areas near the Regal Theatre.
Leaders from the Bharatiya Kisan Union Tikait faction, who arrived at the scene to extend support to the demonstration, were picked up by police after raising slogans against the ruling party. Additional detentions occurred across central parts of the city as authorities prevented various groups from marching toward Jantar Mantar and Pandit Pant Marg.
The unrest followed a protest call that prompted widespread security responses, transforming central Delhi into a virtual fortress. Commercial establishments, shops, offices, and restaurants in Connaught Place remained closed with shutters down, while private vehicle traffic was heavily restricted and metro services were affected. Authorities imposed Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita to ban unauthorized public gatherings.
Key figures from the Kakra Janta Party, identified as Abhijeet Dipke, Saurabh Das, and Ashutosh Ranka, were detained by Delhi Police directly from an aircraft upon landing at Indira Gandhi International Airport and shifted to an undisclosed location as a precautionary measure. Meanwhile, CISF personnel maintained a heavy security presence across terminal gates and border checkpoints connecting Noida, Ghaziabad, and Gurgaon.
Despite the heavy deployment of CRPF and Delhi Police units, smaller groups of demonstrators managed to breach cordons in localized areas. A confrontation took place near the Bangla Sahib Gurudwara, where roughly 20 to 25 protesters took refuge inside the religious premises to evade police detention. Gurudwara committee members held discussions with officials to urge restraint, while security forces remained stationed outside the gates, warning that anyone stepping back onto the streets would be immediately detained.
Further minor clashes and removals occurred near Hanuman Mandir, Minto Bridge, and the Bharatiya Janata Party headquarters, involving members of leftist student bodies and elderly citizens registering dissent over voting rights and administrative policies. Senior advocates had earlier raised concerns before judicial authorities regarding the sweeping metro closures and public movement restrictions that brought normal transit in New Delhi to a halt.