Delhi Police teams are visiting hotels, guest houses, hostels and other accommodation facilities across the national capital and questioning occupants considered “suspicious” ahead of the Cockroach Janta
Party’s (CJP) planned protest at Jantar Mantar on October 10, Hindustan Times reported on Thursday, citing at least four police officials aware of the action.
According to the report, police personnel have been directed to check accommodation records, verify the identities of guests and scrutinise the purpose of their visits to Delhi.
The checks are aimed at identifying people who may have travelled to the national capital to participate in the proposed demonstration.
At least one guest and two hotel staff members were quoted as saying that police officers had visited their establishments and asked questions about the nature and duration of their stays.
The checks come as Delhi remains on high alert ahead of the planned protest, with extensive security arrangements being put in place across the national capital, according to sources cited by ANI.
Delhi Police Check Hotel Registers, Question Guests
HT reported that police officials had been instructed to visit hotels, hostels, guest houses and other temporary accommodation facilities to establish who was staying in the city.
“The teams are entering the premises, checking the occupant registers or logs maintained by owners and managers and checking against a list of factors,” an officer was quoted as saying.
According to people familiar with the checks cited by the report, the factors being examined include the duration of a guest’s stay, whether people have arrived in large groups and their stated purpose for visiting Delhi.
Officials are treating stays between October 8 and 11 as a factor warranting scrutiny. The report mentioned that particular attention is being paid to groups comprising people in their 20s and early 30s.
“If they checked into the accommodation a day or two ago and plan to leave shortly after the weekend, they are being asked about their purpose of visit because they could potentially have come for the protest,” an official was quoted as saying.
Police personnel have also been instructed to pay attention to rooms booked by someone other than the occupant. A senior police officer was quoted as saying that personnel were checking identification documents submitted by guests against booking details.
“If there is any mismatch, the personnel may question the hotel staff, the guests or the persons who booked the rooms,” the officer said.
The report mentioned that police teams had also been given lists of four-star and five-star hotels, taking into account what an officer described as the “social profile” of some protest leaders.
Special Cell, Crime Branch Tracking CJP Leaders
According to the report, local police personnel have been tasked with identifying potential protest participants, while specialised units, including the Special Cell and Crime Branch, have been directed to track key members of the CJP, left-wing organisations and civil society groups.
“Locating the place of stay of social media influencer Dhruv Rathee and CJP’s founder Abhijeet Dipke is the prime responsibility of the Special Cell and Crime Branch teams,” an officer told the report.
Police are also monitoring bus operators and checking bookings to identify organised movement towards Delhi, particularly the New Delhi area, ahead of the October 10 demonstration.
“They have been asked to keep a watch on bus operators, including bookings being made and the destination. If there is organised movement of people towards New Delhi, the local police should be aware of it and stop it,” an officer was quoted as saying.
Checks are also being conducted around railway stations and the airport to identify large groups arriving in the capital.
CJP Plans March Against SIR, Demands Accountability
The police checks come ahead of the CJP’s announced protest at Jantar Mantar on October 10.
According to PTI, CJP founder Abhijit Dipke called for nationwide mobilisation against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise and said the party would march to Jantar Mantar demanding that the exercise be scrapped and accountability fixed for the alleged deletion of voters.
Addressing a press conference, Dipke criticised restrictions on public gatherings in Delhi and questioned why protests could take place in other cities but face restrictions in the national capital.
Dipke alleged that large numbers of voters had been deleted from electoral records and questioned the Election Commission’s role in the exercise.
He also referred to testimonies of people who were allegedly declared dead in electoral records despite producing Aadhaar, PAN and other valid documents to establish that they were alive.
Dipke alleged that the BJP and the Election Commission were working together to delete votes of people who did not support the ruling party. These allegations were made by the CJP leader and were not independently established in the reports provided.
The CJP founder said the party would proceed with its march even if its leaders were detained or arrested.
He also maintained that the movement was seeking accountability from Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the Centre over the alleged deletion of votes, rather than attempting to destabilise the country.
The CJP has announced its protest at Jantar Mantar, with demands including the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. However, permission for the proposed demonstration had not been granted.
