You're the biggest coward this country has seen: Dipke to PM Modi

• Police issue public warnings in Delhi ahead of the 10 October demonstration against alleged vote theft.

• Student organisations allege detentions and intimidation of activists in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat.

• Protesters demand CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation, cancellation of SIR and electoral reforms.

Opposition MPs were present at Delhi’s Rajiv Chowk for lunch on the afternoon of Thursday, 8 October. At precisely the same time, announcements were being made at intersections across the area, warning people that Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita was in force in Delhi and that gatherings of more than five people were prohibited.

‘You are requested not to participate in any protest or block roads,’ the announcements said.

Viewed in the context of the demonstration called by student and civil society organisations at Jantar Mantar on 10 October, the warnings point to the Modi government’s growing anxiety over the planned protest.

However, the authorities are not limiting their efforts to public announcements. The police administration has also been deployed to prevent the demonstration from gaining momentum.

On 8 October, Delhi Police personnel visited a mosque in Old Delhi and read out a message over its loudspeaker while people were present inside. The Hindu journalist Srimanasi posted a video of the incident on X.

According to the video, a police officer urged people not to participate in any protest and advised them to tell their friends, relatives and children not to become part of unnecessary gatherings or join demonstrations. The officer also asked people not to pay attention to provocative messages, to act as responsible citizens and to cooperate with the police in maintaining security in their areas.

CJP alleges assault on spokesperson in Rajasthan

Also On 8 October, Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) convenor Abhijeet Dipke alleged in a post on X that Rajasthan Police had brutally assaulted the party’s spokesperson, Deepak Baliy​an, and his brother.

Dipke claimed that Baliy​an had been taken into custody and that his brother had suffered a head injury. ‘Narendra Modi, this country has never seen anyone as cowardly as you,’ Dipke wrote.

Dipke, a Maharashtra-based activist who led student and youth protests against examination paper leaks in June and July, also alleged in a separate post that Madhya Pradesh Police had detained CJP volunteers associated with Telangana in Bhopal while they were travelling by train.

Students, civil society groups plan indefinite sit-in

Student groups and various social and political organisations from across the country are preparing to protest against alleged vote theft. Their demands include the immediate resignation of chief election commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, cancellation of the special intensive revision (SIR) process and electoral reforms to ensure the integrity of elections.

The organisations have announced an indefinite sit-in at Jantar Mantar from 10 October. At a press conference on 7 October, CJP leader Sourav Das said the student and youth protest would not be limited to demanding Kumar’s resignation.

SFI alleges police action in Uttar Pradesh

Meanwhile, the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) issued a statement alleging that police in Uttar Pradesh had detained office-bearers of the organisation, intimidated their family members and threatened people associated with the student body over the phone.

According to the statement issued on 8 October, Uttar Pradesh Police detained Arif, the SFI district convenor in Saharanpur, from his home and took him to an undisclosed location, where he was allegedly held in police custody.

The statement also alleged that Abdul Wahab, SFI Uttar Pradesh’s state secretary, had repeatedly received calls from police personnel seeking personal information.

Daud Rao, a leader of the All India Kisan Sabha, was also allegedly detained by Uttar Pradesh Police from his home, the organisation said.

In its statement, SFI said the Constitution guaranteed all citizens freedom of expression. Detaining activists from their homes, threatening their families and collecting personal information, it said, violated their democratic rights.

Warning Uttar Pradesh Police and chief minister Yogi Adityanath, the organisation said such actions would not protect what it described as a nexus between the RSS, the BJP and Gyanesh Kumar that it accused of facilitating vote theft. SFI demanded the immediate release of its members.

In a separate incident, Gujarat Police detained Saty​esha Leuwa, SFI’s Gujarat state secretary and an all-India vice-president of the organisation, according to the student body.

Delhi Police visit SFI office late at night

In another development, SFI said late on the night of 8 October that a group of Delhi Police personnel, wielding lathis, had arrived at HKS Surjeet Bhawan in New Delhi and sought information about SFI activists expected to attend the 10 October protest. H.K.S. Surjeet Bhawan houses the office of SFI’s central executive committee.

The reported police action comes amid heightened tensions ahead of the Jantar Mantar demonstration. Following the June-July Jantar Mantar agitation, Delhi Police had allegedly attempted to detain former Jawaharlal Nehru University students’ union president and SFI leader Aishe Ghosh from the party headquarters in New Delhi. Now, with the next demonstration approaching, SFI has alleged police action against its members in several states.

AISF activists allegedly detained in Madhya Pradesh

Communist Party of India national president Viraj Devang also alleged in a post on X that Madhya Pradesh Police had detained members of the All India Students’ Federation (AISF) at Itarsi while they were travelling from Pune to Delhi to participate in the Jantar Mantar protest.

CJP co-convenor Ashutosh Ranka, meanwhile, claimed that police had detained more than 1,000 volunteers across Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. In Kolkata, Ranka alleged, Abdul and his team had been picked up by personnel in plain clothes and taken to an undisclosed location.

‘How many of us will you arrest? There are 2.5 crore cockroaches,’ Ranka wrote, invoking the name of the party.

With the 10 October demonstration approaching, the allegations of detentions and intimidation across states have intensified concerns among student and civil society groups over the authorities’ response to the planned protest.

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