New Delhi, Oct. 10 -- Delhi witnessed heightened security, mass detentions and a political showdown on Saturday as the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)-led protest at Jantar Mantar, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, was met with a heavy police deployment.

Police detained activists from an aircraft, barricades were erected at the Ghazipur border, and gates at 45 Metro stations remained closed, triggering allegations of a crackdown on democratic rights and a counterattack from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Around 1,000 people were detained in the national capital, among them some of the Opposition's biggest names, including Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal and CPI(M)...