Brief
Delhi police detain journalists alongside protesters during CJP rally
Police treated media personnel as equal to agitators, pushing and threatening reporters at multiple sites in New Delhi.
By Felo News Desk · Published
On Saturday, Oct 11, 2026, Delhi police confronted journalists covering a protest organised by the Citizens' Justice Party (CJP) against the Election Commission of India, according to the New Indian Express. Security personnel detained protesters from several organisations and, simultaneously, targeted media workers, placing the "message and messenger on equal footing."
Police officers were observed pushing journalists, issuing crude threats, and directing them away from the protest route. Near Palika Kendra in Connaught Place, a constable pushed a print journalist and told him to move to a side "designated for journalists." When the journalist objected, the officer replied in Hindi, "Tu kisi bhi media se hai, farak nahi padta. Yaha se chup-chap chala ja, warna samjha dunga tere ko," meaning "I don’t care which media organisation you belong to. Get lost from here, or I will teach you a lesson."
Further incidents occurred near Kerala House, where journalists were forced to stay behind a rope on a pavement and were not allowed to sit or move freely on largely vacant roads. The police also barred media from accessing roundabouts and other thoroughfares.
The timeline of the day's events, as reported, includes: a 6 am traffic restriction across Delhi, especially on routes to Jantar Mantar; the arrival of CJP founder Abhijit Dipke, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka from Mumbai at 10:50 am, followed by their detention at the airport; subsequent police actions against protesters attempting to reach Jantar Mantar; and the filing of a contempt plea in the Supreme Court at 12:30 pm for violating its direction to avoid inconvenience to the public.
Detentions extended to several political figures, including CPM MP John Brittas, former Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, AISA national president Neha Bora, former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, and former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, among others. The Supreme Court agreed to hear related matters on Sunday.
Key facts
- Delhi police detained journalists and threatened them during a CJP protest on Oct 11, 2026. (newindianexpress.com)
- A constable told a journalist, "I don’t care which media you belong to. Get lost, or I will teach you a lesson," in Hindi. (newindianexpress.com)
- Prominent political figures, including former chief ministers and party leaders, were also detained. (newindianexpress.com)
Sources
- [1] newindianexpress.com — originally reported as “Delhi protest: Message, messenger on equal footing”
