Delhi Police and paramilitary forces carried out an unprecedented crackdown on protesters on Saturday, October 10, prompting many youth organisations to relocate their demonstrations to locations such as the Safdarjung flyover, Dilli Haat, Raj Ghat and makeshift detention centres in north‑west Delhi.
The city’s central district was sealed with heavy police deployment and barricades, while metro stations, schools, colleges and markets were closed. Loudspeakers announced that Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita was active and citizens were urged to follow police directions.
Despite the restrictions, hundreds of protesters attempted to reach the planned protest site at Jantar Mantar but were stopped, detained, and bundled into buses that were driven to the outskirts of the city. Groups of 100–200 people gathered under various youth banners, while smaller parties of four or five were also intercepted.
Near Safdarjung flyover, demonstrators tried to block a bus carrying detainees, including All India Students’ Association president Neha Bora. Police used batons to disperse them, and a 15‑year‑old from Goa described the force as aggressive, noting that officers in civilian clothing without name tags were involved.
Later, over 150 protesters from Disha Students’ Organisation, Naujawan Bharat Sabha and the Revolutionary Workers’ Party of India gathered at Raj Ghat, where many were again detained with reports of excessive force. Protesters were taken to Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Bawana, where they sang protest songs, and a hunger strike was launched by Rajya Sabha member A.A. Rahim demanding action against Inspector Pawan Tomar.
