A game of hide-and-seek: Protesters duck into washrooms, gurdwara amid capital-wide clampdown
Protesters in Delhi engaged in a tense game of hide-and-seek with police during a crackdown on demonstrations against the Chief Election Commissioner. Participants utilized public washrooms and religious sites to evade detention while attempting to reach Jantar Mantar.
Why it matters
The report highlights the escalating tensions between state security forces and political protesters in the capital, underscoring the challenges of maintaining public order.
They hid in public washrooms, took shelter overnight in a gurdwara and slipped in and out of its gates as police closed in, turning the crackdown during the CJP protest in Delhi into a elaborate game of hide-and-seek.
As thousands of police and paramilitary personnel fanned out across the capital on Saturday (October 10, 2026), protesters demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the rollback of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) scrambled to evade detention, using public spaces and places of worship to lie low.
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One of the most unusual scenes unfolded at an NDMC washroom in Connaught Place, where more than 20 young protesters had hidden overnight, hoping to sneak through the extensive security arrangements ahead of the march to Jantar Mantar.
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