Archive · 10 Oct 2026
Jean Dreze Detained Near Jantar Mantar Protest Site
Jean Dreze and three other people gathered near Jantar Mantar in Delhi with protest posters.
They said they had only been there for a few minutes when police took them away.
Dreze said the officers did not explain why they were being detained.
Other people in the area said they were not going to the protest and had been stopped while doing everyday things.
Some alleged that police took their phones, and one said his phone was broken.
A scholar said officers tore the group’s posters.
Dreze also said road restrictions and cancelled trains had made it harder for people to reach the protest.
These accounts are allegations reported by the people who were detained.
Economist and activist Jean Dreze and three others were detained near Jantar Mantar on Saturday.
The group said they were holding posters and speaking to the media before police took them away.
Dreze said road restrictions and train cancellations made it difficult for people to reach the protest.
Several people who said they were in the area for other reasons alleged police detained them and took their phones.
Those detained described being taken by bus; some also alleged their phones were damaged or their posters torn.
- Who
- Economist and activist Jean Dreze, three other people gathered near Kerala House, and other people who said they were in the area for unrelated reasons.
- What
- Delhi Police detained Dreze and others near the Jantar Mantar protest site; those detained alleged officers gave no explanation and some said phones were taken.
- When
- Saturday; the article does not specify the date.
- Where
- Near Kerala House and Jantar Mantar in Delhi; Dreze said he was held at Adarsh Nagar police station.
- Why
- The article does not state the police's reason for detaining them. The group said they had gathered to take part in the Cockroach Janata Party protest.
- Detained group
- Jean Dreze, filmmaker Aban Raza, scholar and researcher Paran Amitava, and scholar and artist Anjali S.
- Initial location
- Near Kerala House, close to Jantar Mantar, Delhi
- Reported destination
- Adarsh Nagar police station, according to Dreze and Paran Amitava
- Other people detained
- Dreze estimated that around 30 to 35 people who were there for reasons unrelated to the protest were being held.
- Reported transport disruption
- Dreze said roads were blocked and several trains, including trains connecting Ranchi to other parts of the country, had been cancelled.
- Phone allegations
- Some people said police took their phones; Shahid Hussain alleged his phone was broken.