Arvind Kejriwal slammed the Centre on Saturday (October 10, 2026) after police detained protesters heading to Jantar Mantar. He called the action “worse than the emergency”. The Aam Aadmi Party accused the government of imposing a black emergency, as authorities closed 45 metro stations to stop the ongoing youth protests.

Aam Aadmi Party national convener Arvind Kejriwal slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Centre on Saturday (October 10, 2026), following the detention by the police of several protesters coming to Jantar Mantar to join the protests called by Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) and various youth organisations, and termed the action “worse than the emergency”.

In a post on X, Mr. Kejriwal said, “It’s official.. we are living under an absolute dictatorship ruled by Modi. Arresting cockroaches straight off their flight shows an unprecedented level of fear.”

“PM Modi clearly knows he only won the election through vote chori and now he is hell-bent on protecting his fraud by completely crushing democracy,” says former Delhi Chief Minister.

He added, “Gyanesh must go, but so must Modi.”

Meanwhile, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) accused the BJP-led central government of imposing a "black emergency" in the country.

AAP MLA Gopal Rai said the party shut down metro stations and cancelled trains only to protect one person.

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"Instead of removing CEC Gyanesh Kumar, the Centre has declared a black emergency in the country. Today, to protect Kumar, you have turned Delhi into a cantonment. But remember this, it does not matter how much force you push in, this movement will not be suppressed," Mr. Rai told reporters.

AAP Delhi unit president Saurabh Bharadwaj said the protestors only want to raise their issues in a "non-violent" way, but heavy deployment of forces creates an environment of fear.

"You can not make Gen-Z keep quiet by force; these are our youth, talk to them, engage with them. BJP Govt wants to show that we are a scared country. We are not; we believe in non-violence and the Constitution of India," Mr. Bharadwaj said in a video message.

The Cockroach Janata Party is scheduled to protest at Jantar Mantar here on Saturday, demanding the resignation of Kumar for alleged "vote theft."

Delhi Metro closed 45 stations from 9 pm on Friday till 6 p.m. on Saturday (October 10, 2026) for security reasons, an advisory said.