New Delhi: A police officer chasing protesters at Delhi’s Connaught Place may have taken his eyes off one detainee for a moment too long. As he ran after other demonstrators, the man he had caught earlier broke free and made a dash for it, in a moment captured on camera during Sunday’s Cockroach Janta Party protest.
The incident took place on October 10 during the demonstrations demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation. The video, captured by media crews, has gone viral, and prompted social media users to call the sequence a moment made for memes.
In the footage, a police officer detained one protester before moving to chase other demonstrators. While his attention was on the fleeing protesters, the first detainee managed to break free and run away, leaving viewers amused by the brief lapse in custody.
The protest saw demonstrators gather at Connaught Place before Delhi Police and Central Reserve Police Force personnel moved in to remove them. Security was heightened across the national capital, with more than 30,000 police and paramilitary personnel deployed for the second consecutive day on Sunday as the demonstrations continued.
The protest was directed against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, with the CJP calling for his resignation. Detentions and the dispersal of protesters formed part of the security response as authorities sought to manage the gatherings.
The Supreme Court has issued key directions during the hearing related to the CJP protests in Delhi, stressing that peaceful, unarmed demonstrations cannot be restricted without valid grounds and that people cannot be detained outside due process of law.
It also said restrictions on internet services, metro and train operations, and road movement should not be imposed unless specifically required to maintain public order. The court further directed that Section 163 restrictions outside court premises be lifted immediately and said lawyers and journalists must not be prevented from carrying out their duties.