The New Delhi district was placed under a security lockdown on Friday, a day before the proposed youth-led protest at Jantar Mantar against alleged irregularities in the ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) of voter rolls, with thousands of security personnel deployed across the city and barricades placed at several stretches to prevent protesters from reaching the venue.

The police have set up holding facilities in all 15 districts to house protesters detained en route to Jantar Mantar. Facilities such as Chhatrasal Stadium will be used to house the detainees, a senior officer told The Hindu.

The arrangements mark a shift towards decentralised deployment, with police personnel instructed to intercept protesters within their respective jurisdictions rather than concentrate forces at common locations in central Delhi.

A large number of women police personnel from Haryana and Uttar Pradesh have been deployed to handle women protesters, said sources.

Over 50,000 security personnel from Delhi Police and Central Armed Police Forces, including the Central Industrial Security Force, Sashastra Seema Bal and Indo-Tibetan Border Police, have been pressed into service at public transit hubs, along the border entry points and at sensitive locations in central Delhi, said the officer.

At Jantar Mantar, police have placed barricades on all sides and strung chains across them. Security has also been beefed up at metro stations in the vicinity, including Janpath and Patel Chowk, and additional CCTV cameras have been installed across New Delhi.

Prohibitory orders

During the day, police personnel visited mosques and announced that prohibitory orders are in place in New Delhi under Section 163 of the BNSS and that participation in Saturday’s protest could lead to the registration of FIRs. In one such video, purportedly from Baghwali Masjid in Chandni Chowk, a policeman could be seen asking people not to turn up for Saturday’s stir.

When reached for a response, Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) Niharika Bhatt said, “No such directions have been given to the local staff by supervisory officers. We are looking into the matter.”

DCP (North East) Rahool Alwal said, “Since the festive season is under way and tomorrow [Saturday] is a weekend, we are expecting heavy footfall in market areas, so traffic coordination is necessary. We are in touch with Uttar Pradesh Police to monitor the flow of traffic.”

He said based on the police’s recommendation, commercial establishments in Connaught Place (C.P.), Chandni Chowk and Karol Bagh have decided to close on Saturday.

In addition, several schools and colleges rescheduled parent-teacher meetings, postponed examinations and shifted classes scheduled for Saturday online.

The Delhi Police have denied permission for the Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP) proposed protest at Jantar Mantar on October 10, citing alleged non-compliance with conditions agreed to during an earlier demonstration, Joint Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) Nupur Prasad said on Friday (October 9, 2026), a day before the proposed protest.

“Because of not following the conditions as part of undertaking during the past protest, this time the permission has been denied,” Ms. Prasad said.

The decision comes two days after CJP co-convener Saurav Das submitted an intimation letter to the Delhi Police on October 7, informing them of the planned demonstration and seeking arrangements for law and order and traffic management. The protest is scheduled for Saturday (October 10).

The official said that the permission was sought in the last minute while as per rules it should be sort atleast 10 days before the protest.

The CJP had maintained that it was informing the police rather than seeking permission, arguing that Jantar Mantar is a designated protest site and that the police should facilitate a peaceful gathering. Mr. Das had submitted the letter at Parliament Street police station and received an acknowledgement, according to the organisers.

The October 10 demonstration has been called by the CJP and student organisations, including the All India Students’ Association (AISA), amid protests over the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The organisers are demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation, an independent inquiry into alleged irregularities in the revision exercise and reforms to the process of appointing Election Commissioners.

The proposed protest follows a series of demonstrations in Delhi against the SIR exercise and the CEC. The CJP had also organised a mobilisation in July over the NEET-UG paper leak, which led to confrontations between protesters and security personnel.

The police have been scrutinising proposed demonstrations following the July protest. In the run-up to the October 10 gathering, the Crime Branch registered a fresh FIR to investigate the alleged involvement of 2,873 people with criminal records who were flagged during the July 20 CJP protest. The investigation is also examining whether the violence during the demonstration was pre-planned or whether people with criminal antecedents joined the protest.

The denial of permission comes amid heightened restrictions on demonstrations in central Delhi. The police have said that organisers must obtain prior permission for protests at Jantar Mantar and that applications should ordinarily be submitted at least 10 days in advance.

The CJP’s proposed demonstration on October 10 is part of the continuing campaign against the SIR exercise, which has drawn opposition from political parties and student groups over concerns about electoral roll revisions and alleged exclusions. The Election Commission has maintained that the exercise is aimed at ensuring the accuracy of electoral rolls.

With the police calling up volunteers, holding meetings with residents and using loudspeakers to announce that prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) are in place near Jantar Mantar and youth organisations going door-to-door to mobilise those affected by the special intensive revision (SIR) process, people are in a dilemma over whether to join the protest on October 10 seeking removal of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar and suspension of the SIR drive. 

Section 163 of the BNSS, 2023, empowers an Executive Magistrate (such as a District Magistrate or Commissioner of Police) to issue urgent temporary orders to maintain public order, prevent danger, or stop unlawful assemblies.

To stop people from gathering, the police has been holding meetings in colleges, universities, and PG accommodations to ask students and citizens not to join the protest. Officials said that joining the unsanctioned protest would disrupt law and order in the New Delhi area.

Police officials visited local mosques and market places in Old Delhi and announced that Section 163 of BNSS is in place in the New Delhi area, requesting citizens to not participate in the protest.

“Do not pay attention to any provocation. Do not come under the influence of any provocative messages or act. Be a responsible citizen and follow the law. Cooperate with police and administration in your areas. Advise your friends, family and children not to be part of a crowd unnecessarily, or participate in any protest because administration is only doing its work. This should not negatively impact us or our children,” announced a police official addressing citizens in Baghwali Masjid in Chandni Chowk on Thursday (October 8, 2026).

Locals in central Delhi are afraid to join the protest. “The police have been telling us not to join the protest as it is illegal to hold protests in New Delhi due to Section 163 being in place. All our shopkeepers and youth have been told not to provide food or take bulk orders expected to be served to protesters. We are afraid that if we join the protest, we will be detained by the police,” said Salauddeen, president of the Matia Mahal Traders’ Organisation.

However, in many areas, despite the police reaching out to citizens, associations have insisted on participating and have even mobilised people from their areas for October 10. “I have received calls from the local police saying that since Section 163 is in place, people should refrain from participating. We will not stop as it is our right to protest and SIR is a genuine issue that needs to be addressed. Several people who are not politically active otherwise have given their word to participate in the October 10 gathering,” said Ashok Bhasin, president of the North Delhi Residents’ Welfare Federation.

Door-to-door mobilisation

Youth organisations have been trying to mobilise people affected by the SIR process on the ground, targeting people in slum areas in various parts of the city. Several organisations have reached out to domestic workers, daily-wage earners, and factory workers to inform them how SIR can affect them. At least seven different organisations are doing door-to-door campaigns, including anganwadi and women’s organisations.

“There are people from marginalised sections, especially among the working class, who do not even know what SIR is and how the deletion of their names from the rolls can affect them. No BLOs or EC officials have approached them to tell them their names have been deleted or what documents they need to submit if their names have been deleted,” said Naureen, a member of the Disha Students’ Organisation.

She added that real mobilisation of the people happens on the ground, among those affected by the process. “We have been telling people to join the October 10 protest because they are the ones who have been affected by it the most,” she said. However, with heavy police deployment, transport, and communication services expected to be restricted on Saturday, she says it will be a challenge to bring them to the protest site. “We do not want them to suffer either, as they will have to travel from far-off places. People are willing to participate despite that, and no one has backed off as of now,” she added.

“Besides demanding Gyanesh’s resignation, we also demand the scrapping of SIR as a whole. We are going door-to-door in 13 different states as part of our Bhagat Singh Jan Adhikar Yatra to mobilise the working masses, demanding the scrapping of SIR and re-election in SIR-inflicted states,” said Vishal from the Revolutionary Workers’ Party of India.