Delhi Police have registered four FIRs in connection with the INDIA bloc's protest march to the Supreme Court over alleged electoral irregularities and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Police sources said on Tuesday that the cases were registered at the Connaught Place, Tilak Marg, Mandir Marg and Barakhamba police stations for alleged violations of Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).
Two FIRs have been registered at Tilak Marg police station, while one each has been filed at Mandir Marg and Barakhamba police stations, according to Delhi Police sources.
In a separate development, Delhi Police detained several protesters, including Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) chief spokesperson Saurav Das and national spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka, at Jantar Mantar on Tuesday morning.
According to reports, Das and Ranka allegedly entered the protest site by climbing over its locked gates along with at least 10 other people. Some members of the group managed to enter the premises carrying the national flag before police personnel detained them, a senior police officer said.
Ranka also shared a video on his X account showing him and Das climbing over the locked gates and entering the premises before being apprehended by police personnel.
The detention comes amid an ongoing standoff between CJP and Delhi Police over the party's proposed protest demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the SIR exercise. The development also comes a day after Jantar Mantar was removed from the list of designated protest venues in the national capital.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, along with Das and Ranka, had earlier been detained at Delhi airport on October 10 after arriving from Mumbai to participate in the planned demonstration. The three were subsequently released following an order by an executive magistrate.
After their release, the leaders said they would continue their campaign and sought permission from Delhi Police to hold a peaceful protest at Jantar Mantar. On Monday, they visited Parliament Street Police Station to seek a fresh date for the demonstration.
INDIA bloc march to Supreme Court over SIR
The detentions came a day after INDIA bloc leaders, activists and civil society members marched towards the Supreme Court in central Delhi to protest against the Election Commission of India (ECI) over alleged electoral irregularities and the SIR exercise. A delegation of Opposition leaders subsequently approached the Supreme Court with a joint petition challenging the SIR process.
The march took place a day after Chief Justice of India Surya Kant declined a request to meet Opposition leaders over the issue, citing that the matter was sub judice.
The 'March for Democracy' began at the Constitution Club around 1.30 p.m. on Monday and continued for more than four hours. The procession proceeded largely unhindered by police barricades.
VIDEO | Hingoli: CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke on the INDIA bloc's protest says, "Narendra Modi's fear is evident from the fact that he has removed Jantar Mantar as a designated protest site. He thinks protests will stop if Jantar Mantar is no longer a designated protest site, but that is not going to happen. Jantar Mantars will now emerge across the country. Narendra Modi's problem is not with Jantar Mantar as a location, but with protests. We must understand this." (Full video available on PTI Videos - https://t.co/bIyFWTeOLF)
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) October 13, 2026
The Congress claimed on its social media handles that 2.5 lakh people participated in the protest. A majority of the protesters were Congress supporters who had travelled from different parts of the country to join the demonstration.
Despite a proposal by INDIA bloc leaders that only the national flag should be displayed during the march, Congress flags dominated the gathering. Flags belonging to Left student organisations were also visible. The march also witnessed lighter moments, with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge donning a Batman mask.
Rahul Gandhi invites INDIA bloc leaders for high tea
Fortress Jantar Mantar has been breached https://t.co/hUlskpMhEc
— Ashutosh Ranka (@AshutoshRanka) October 13, 2026
Meanwhile, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi has invited INDIA bloc leaders, civil society members and student organisations for a high tea at his residence at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, a day after the Opposition's march to the Supreme Court. A press conference is also scheduled ahead of the meeting.
Separately, a security review of three newly designated protest sites has been completed, sources said. The decision was based on real-time inputs received by the Ministry of Home Affairs' control room. Security deployment strategies are being assessed and revised daily, they added.
