India, Oct. 11 -- The plan was to assemble at Jantar Mantar, but it didn't happen. A sea of khaki and blue-green fatigues, metal barricades and buses parked askew across the streets turned India's address of dissent into a fortress on Saturday, scattering protesters across Delhi. Small groups raised slogans, changed routes and tried to regroup, only to be detained. By 5 pm, police had detained at least 7,000 people.

With heavy security deployment preventing protesters from reaching the designated venue, what was meant to be a collective gathering soon split onto streets, intersections and alternative meeting points across the Capital. Saturday's protest was the latest in a series of demonstrations that have rocked New Delhi this past wee...