Delhi Police detained more than 200 individuals in preventive custody on June 6, 2024, ahead of a scheduled Cockroach Janta Party protest [1].
The scale of the police response indicates a high level of concern regarding public order and the potential for violence during political demonstrations in the capital.
The Cockroach Janta Party had called for a protest to begin at 9 a.m. [2]. In response, authorities deployed approximately 1,000 police personnel to secure Jantar Mantar and the surrounding areas [2]. This deployment included heightened security measures to manage the crowd and prevent unauthorized disruptions.
Police officials said the decision to use preventive custody was based on intelligence inputs and ground assessments. The authorities identified the detained individuals as having prior criminal records, listing them as "bad characters" [1].
According to officials, the security situation was viewed as dynamic, which prompted the pre-emptive action plan [2]. The strategy focused on neutralizing potential threats by removing individuals with known histories of volatility before the rally could commence [1].
Jantar Mantar is a frequent site for political demonstrations in Delhi, but the use of specific lists to target individuals with criminal records reflects a targeted approach to crowd control. Police said no prior permission had been sought for the gathering [2].
“Delhi Police detained more than 200 individuals in preventive custody”
The use of 'preventive custody' based on criminal records allows authorities to disrupt a protest's composition before it begins. By labeling specific activists as 'bad characters,' the Delhi Police are utilizing a pre-emptive security model that prioritizes the removal of perceived agitators over the general right to assemble, signaling a low tolerance for volatility in the capital's sensitive political zones.
