Six days before the Cockroach Janata Party’s (CJP) protest at Jantar Mantar, the Union Home Secretary met several state DGPs and select police commissioners and asked them to make sure that those who had attended similar protests in the past did not leave their hometowns for Delhi, The Indian Express has learnt.Sources said the instructions at the October 4 meeting were to issue notices, carry out preventive detentions if necessary, and find out the protesters’ “sources of funding”. A second meeting was held by the Union Home Ministry on October 8 to check preparedness.In Maharashtra, home state of CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, the meeting was followed the same day by a “confidential letter” from the DGP’s office to police units across the state. Notices have been served on would-be protesters since then, and the Mumbai Police detained over 200 people on Friday.Also Read | ‘Even in Emergency, trains ran on time’: CJP's Abhijit Dipke slams Delhi clampdownA query sent to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) spokesperson did not elicit a response.Behind the exercise, sources said, is the belief in the security establishment that the earlier CJP protests at Jantar Mantar, which led to Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation as Education Minister in July, gathered momentum because the crowd strength had been underestimated. “It was believed that the earlier protests in Delhi that led to Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation were not given much importance due to which massive crowds managed to gather there,” a source said.This time, the Delhi Police asked the MHA to ensure that people did not reach Delhi at all, since large crowds would be difficult to manage. Maharashtra was considered particularly important. It was believed that many from the state would participate since Dipke is from Maharashtra. A source said it was also generally believed that the state had many active Left organisations that would put their might behind the protest.Also Read | Cockroach Janta Party’s anti-Gyanesh Kumar protest in Delhi: Full coverageInstructions at the October 4 meeting also covered those who belonged to certain organisations, who were to be stopped from travelling to Delhi along with past protesters. The same day, sources said, a confidential letter went out from the Maharashtra DGP’s office to several police commissionerates and districts, asking the police to act on similar lines.Story continues below this adThe letter, the contents of which were accessed by The Indian Express, was sent across the state under the signature of Inspector General (Law & Order) Lakhmi Gautam. It mentions the Jantar Mantar protest called by the CJP on October 10, and asks the police “tyana pravrutta kara” (dissuade them from attending the Jantar Mantar event) and, for that, “yogya te pratibandhak karvahi karave” (take necessary precautionary measures). Several notices issued to protesters on October 4 cite the same “confidential letter” as the basis on which they were being served.“The DGP instructed that no detentions should be carried out and hence notices were issued by the police units based on the letter sent out to them by the DGP office,” the source said.Also Read | ‘How many trains can be stopped?’ BJP ally Chirag Paswan on Delhi’s EC protest shutdownA day later, on October 5, Dipke posted on X that the Maharashtra Police “isn’t perfect after all”, and the next day addressed a press conference on the notices being issued to CJP members in the state.An officer from the Maharashtra DGP’s office, however, claimed that fewer than 50 notices may have been issued, and that the state police had carried out no detentions.Story continues below this ad“Accordingly, the Home Secretary took a meeting on October 4 and later on October 8 to check preparedness. If it was found that a particular person who had earlier been to these protests had managed to leave their hometown, the agencies alerted MHA and the local police unit was asked to respond to how the lapse took place,” the source said.Also Read | Why Sonam Wangchuk won’t be joining CJP’s Delhi protest todayWhile the Maharashtra Police issued notices, the Mumbai Police went further. Sources in the Mumbai Police said over 200 people were detained from various parts of the city on Friday so that they could not leave for Delhi for Saturday’s protest. “They were detained under sections of the Maharashtra Police Act,” the source said. “Every force was dealing with the mechanism that they felt was most effective,” an official said. Can’t bring everything to halt: SC on Delhi Metro closure for EC protest“We are mainly concerned about the complete closure of metro station entries; we have serious concerns about this,” the Supreme Court said.Read the full story →Permission denied, says Delhi Police for CJP Jantar Mantar protest tomorrowDelhi Police denied permission for a Cockroach Janta Party protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar at Jantar Mantar, citing rule violations and BNSS Section 163 prohibitory orders.Read the full story →Delhi Police’s 37-point dragnet to block CJP protests: In graphicsTrains cancelled, 60 metro stations closed, and hotel bookings restricted: Delhi Police have activated a 37-point dragnet across the national capital to prevent Saturday’s Jantar Mantar demonstration against alleged voter roll irregularities. Here is how the security clampdown will impact commuters and visitors across the city.Read the full story →Delhi CJP Protest: Trains to New Delhi, Nizamuddin cancelled tomorrow between 4 am – 2 pmDelhi train cancellation: Indian Railways has cancelled all mails and express trains to and from New Delhi and Hazrat Nizamuddin stations for 10 hours on October 10 amid a CJP protest.Read the full story →Sign a bond, skip Delhi: Maharashtra police warn would-be protesters against Oct 10 agitationA day before the Cockroach Janata Party's Jantar Mantar protest, activists in Mumbai, Thane, Nagpur and Pune say police came to their homes, called them on trains and detained some. The DGP's office admits issuing notices but denies any detentions.Read the full story →Trains, metros, Uber, Oyo and stadiums: The crackdown for Delhi CJP October 10 protestThe Delhi Police has not granted permission for the CJP-AISA protest against the Chief Election Commissioner, citing prohibitory orders under Section 163Read the full story →