Security was intensified across central Delhi on Thursday as the Opposition INDIA bloc prepared for a third consecutive day of protests demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Around 5,000 Delhi Police personnel have been deployed and several roads have been barricaded around Sansad Marg, Ashoka Road, Janpath Road and adjoining areas. The Le Meridien roundabout, where Opposition protesters gathered a day earlier, has also been brought under tighter surveillance.
The Centre has simultaneously approved additional deployment of central paramilitary forces in Delhi between October 8 and 12. The heightened arrangements come after Wednesday's protest brought parts of central Delhi to a standstill and ended with several Opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, being detained.
Police prepare for larger gathering
Officials said the police had little time to put security arrangements in place around the Le Meridien roundabout on Wednesday because the protest there developed largely on an impromptu basis. Authorities have now strengthened the deployment in anticipation of another potentially large gathering.
Police have also examined footage recorded by 150 body cameras worn by personnel during Wednesday's protest. Officials said the footage showed instances of police personnel being targeted.
The Opposition has been protesting in the national capital since Tuesday, with the demonstrations focused on allegations concerning the Election Commission's handling of electoral-roll revision and demands for Kumar's resignation.
The protests have already resulted in multiple police cases. On Tuesday, Delhi Police registered a case against Congress leaders after they entered the All India Radio headquarters while attempting to march towards the Election Commission of India office.
Police on Wednesday alleged that some Congress leaders manhandled women police personnel, bit male staff members and attacked other personnel. Congress leaders, however, alleged that Opposition lawmakers and workers were dragged, beaten and pushed into buses, causing injuries.
Additional FIRs were filed on Thursday in connection with alleged assaults and obstruction of police personnel during Wednesday's protest, with Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra among those named in the cases.
110 paramilitary companies approved
The Union home ministry has approved the deployment of 110 additional companies of central paramilitary forces in Delhi from October 8 to 12. As many as 111 companies were already deployed.
The Central Reserve Police Force will account for the largest share, with 85 companies. Seven companies of the CRPF's specialised anti-riot unit, the Rapid Action Force, have also been approved.
The Indo-Tibetan Border Police will contribute seven companies, the Sashastra Seema Bal 10 and the Central Industrial Security Force one company from Thursday.
A paramilitary company has a sanctioned strength of between 120 and 130 personnel, although around 75 to 80 personnel are generally deployed.
The overall CAPF presence is expected to rise further in the coming days. Reports on Thursday said around 11,000 additional personnel were being brought into the Capital ahead of a separate large protest planned by the Cockroach Janta Party on Saturday.
Three-hour standoff halted central Delhi
Wednesday's confrontation followed a gathering of at least 200 INDIA bloc lawmakers, who first met for lunch at Janpath before attempting to travel to Jantar Mantar.
The group was stopped by a 5,000-strong police deployment at the intersection of Janpath and Ashoka Road. The ensuing standoff lasted more than three hours, with buses carrying Opposition leaders prevented from proceeding.
The barricading of the busy intersection disrupted traffic on Ashoka Road, Raisina Road and Janpath and brought a large part of central Delhi to a standstill. Police have cited restrictions on demonstrations and the absence of permission for the march as part of the reason for stopping the protesters.
Outside the Shangri La hotel, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra lay on the road holding a copy of the Constitution. Rahul Gandhi resisted attempts by police to place him inside a detention vehicle.
The Gandhi siblings and other Congress workers were eventually bundled into buses. Rahul Gandhi was taken to Barakhamba police station and released at around 8pm.
Priyanka Gandhi later alleged that she was scratched and forcibly removed by women police personnel. The Congress has accused the authorities of suppressing peaceful protest, while the police and BJP have put forward their own accounts of the confrontation.
Protest follows report on Election Commission differences
The Opposition's campaign is seeking to increase pressure on Kumar following an Indian Express investigation into internal differences within the Election Commission.
The report said Election Commissioners SS Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had recorded written dissents and objections at least 14 times between November 2025 and August 2026. They were also reported to have written to the cabinet secretary.
The investigation further reported that election officials found their access to the Election Commission's software curtailed by its central IT team.
The INDIA bloc's protest, involving 13 parties, has therefore combined opposition to the Special Intensive Revision with wider allegations about the functioning and independence of the poll panel.
The Election Commission has maintained that differences among officials are normal and that its actions have been lawful.
Security around Jantar Mantar remains tight
The latest security measures build on arrangements already introduced in the New Delhi district. Police have erected multi-layer barricades along routes leading towards Jantar Mantar, including Tolstoy Marg, Janpath Road and Sansad Marg, while access to the designated protest site has been restricted from multiple directions.
The authorities are also dealing with several groups operating in different parts of central Delhi. Separate protests by political parties, student groups and activists have complicated the policing challenge, with multiple FIRs already registered during the wider demonstrations.
The INDIA bloc, meanwhile, has indicated that its campaign against Kumar will continue, keeping central Delhi on high alert as the Opposition seeks to sustain pressure over the electoral-roll controversy.