The Delhi Police has stepped up checks at hotels, guest houses, hostels and other accommodation facilities ahead of the Cockroach Janta Party's (CJP) planned protest at Jantar Mantar on Saturday, October 10. Officers are verifying guest records, questioning people about their visits and monitoring travel bookings to identify possible movements of protest participants towards the capital.
At least four police officials confirmed that personnel had been directed to inspect temporary accommodation across Delhi. Guests and hotel employees also told Hindustan Times that officers had visited properties and made inquiries.
Hotel guests, bookings under scrutiny
Police teams are checking guest registers, identity documents and the purpose of visitors' stays. Officials said visits scheduled between October 8 and 11, groups arriving together and people planning to leave soon after the weekend were among the factors drawing attention.
Officers are also checking rooms booked by someone other than the person staying in them. One senior police officer said, “To my knowledge, staff have been asked to focus on individuals staying in rooms booked by others on their behalf. For that reason, they are not only checking hotel registers but also matching IDs submitted by the guests. If there is any mismatch, the personnel may question the hotel staff, the guests or the persons who booked the rooms,”
A woman visiting Delhi for a friend's wedding said two policemen approached hotel staff around 4 pm to ask whether any guests were planning to attend the protest.
A hotel employee in Paharganj said officers had checked their records and asked staff to alert them if groups booked rooms and planned to leave on Saturday.
Organisers and travel routes monitored
According to police officials, specialised units, including the Special Cell and Crime Branch, have been tasked with tracking key figures associated with CJP, left-wing organisations and civil society groups.
Police are also checking bus bookings and destinations to identify organised travel towards New Delhi. Railway stations and the airport are being monitored for large groups arriving in the capital.
One officer said, “We are not stopping or detaining anyone. We are just making inquiries. There’s intel that suspicious persons are coming to Delhi and will join the protest to violate law and order. We have got information from state police departments and railway police about groups of men coming in from different cities to Delhi. We are just verifying their details,”
Youths detained in Madhya Pradesh
Separately, railway police in Madhya Pradesh detained 21 people travelling on the Goa Express towards Delhi. GRP Itarsi inspector Sanjay Chauksey said police had received information about youths travelling from Pune who could disrupt public order. They were taken to a hotel in Itarsi and asked to return to Pune.
The checks come amid heightened security ahead of the protest demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.