The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) said its leaders Ashutosh Ranka, Saurav Das and Ajinkya Shinde were among around 20 volunteers detained after entering the observatory grounds to reclaim the venue for protests.
The demonstrators waved the Indian flag and chanted slogans before police took them into custody, according to a livestream shared by the movement.
“You cannot denotify the resistance,” CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said in a post on X following the detentions.
The protests centre on a voter list revision exercise that critics allege could disproportionately exclude voters likely to oppose Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The Election Commission has denied favouring any political party and said voters whose names were wrongly removed could register again. The BJP has accused opposition parties of undermining democratic institutions by questioning legitimate electoral procedures.
The latest confrontation followed a decision by Delhi Police to remove Jantar Mantar from the list of officially designated protest sites. Police said three alternative venues had been identified.
The CJP and opposition groups have staged repeated demonstrations this month, demanding Kumar’s resignation. Thousands joined an opposition-led march on Monday after a security crackdown disrupted the movement’s planned weekend demonstration.
Voter list revisions spark controversy
The movement has emerged as a prominent source of opposition to the Modi government, organising protests over issues including government school infrastructure and employment.
Earlier this year, a weeks-long sit-in by its supporters at Jantar Mantar reportedly contributed to the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan following a controversy over examination paper leaks.
The latest demonstrations intensified after the Indian Express reported that two deputy election commissioners had raised concerns internally about voter list revisions, registration procedures and digital systems.
The revision process, which began last year, removed more than 130 million names from voter lists, according to figures cited in the report. These included around 28 million people recorded as deceased, 63 million reported to have relocated and 30 million who could not be traced.
Opposition parties allege the deletions disproportionately affect Muslim voters and other minorities, who are less likely to support the ruling BJP. The Election Commission and the BJP have rejected the allegations.
