12,000 Paramilitary Personnel Airlifted to Delhi Ahead of CJP Protest Over SIR Irregularities on Oct 10

The Centre is mobilising thousands of paramilitary personnel in Delhi ahead of the Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP) October 10 protest at Jantar Mantar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Security sources reportedly said that around 12,000 CRPF personnel were being airlifted from Bengal, Jammu and Kashmir and Chhattisgarh to strengthen security. The protest comes amid Opposition demonstrations and demands for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

Officials said the deployment could be comparable to security arrangements during the 2023 G20 summit.

• Around 50,000 security personnel were deployed during the G20 summit in September 2023.
• Student unions, Opposition supporters and farmers from Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh are expected to join the protest.
• Security personnel have been directed to use non-lethal crowd control measures, including lathis, tear gas and water cannons.

Security Tightened Across Delhi

CJP spokesperson Saurav Das reportedly said the party had informed the Delhi Police about the October 10 rally, which will bring young people from across the country to Jantar Mantar to raise concerns over elections and voter lists.

Multi-layered iron barricades have been installed around Parliament, the Election Commission office and Jantar Mantar. Security has also been strengthened at Delhi's borders.

Police Step Up Crowd Control Measures

The Home Ministry is learnt to have instructed security officials to avoid carrying pellet guns for crowd control following the outrage over their alleged use during the CJP's July 20 Parliament march.

The Delhi Police have also directed station house officers to monitor buses entering the New Delhi district and ask educational institutions and paying guest accommodations to ensure students do not participate in the protests.

Previous CJP Agitation

The security arrangements come after the CJP's five-week agitation in July over the NEET paper leak, which reportedly ended with the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Authorities are preparing for another large gathering as protests over electoral rolls and the Election Commission intensify.