Chalo Dilli: about a dozen journalists detained, several say they showed press cards
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Delhi Police have detained close to 7,000 people since 10 October, Hindustan Times reported. YouTuber and journalist Shyam Meera Singh was held on 11 October, and no reason has been reported.
Original report
As of 12 October 2026, 01:15 IST
About a dozen journalists were detained in Delhi on Sunday 11 October 2026 during the #ChaloDilli protests, The Hindu reported, and several say they showed press cards. YouTuber and journalist Shyam Meera Singh was among those held, and video shows him being pushed into a police van, Inshorts reported.
The detentions came on the second day of a crackdown on the Cockroach Janta Party's "Chalo Delhi" call, which demands that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar resign over alleged irregularities in the electoral-roll SIR. Delhi Police detained close to 7,000 people from early Saturday 10 October, Hindustan Times reported.
What we know
About a dozen journalists were detained on 11 October around Connaught Place, near Ramakrishna Ashram Marg Metro, The Hindu reported. Several say they showed press cards.
- Shyam Meera Singh was detained on 11 October, and AISA chief Neha Bora was also detained, Inshorts reported.
- CPI(M) Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas says police assaulted him in a vehicle and left him by the roadside, The Hindu reported. He is at RML Hospital and has written to the President, the Rajya Sabha Chairman and the Chief Justice of India.
- Police cite non-cooperation during the detentions, according to The Hindu's headline. We have not read a fuller police statement.
The journalists were held as the weekend's count kept climbing.
Stadiums became holding sites for thousands
Close to 7,000 people were detained from early 10 October, picked up at stations, the airport, hotels, homes and streets, Hindustan Times reported. They were held at Nangloi, Chhatrasal and Bawana stadiums, the Yamuna Sports Complex, police stations and community centres, the paper said.
Former chief ministers, lawyers, students, influencers and journalists were among them, and many kept protesting inside, Hindustan Times reported. An unnamed Delhi Police officer told the paper the instructions were for "no repeat of the Jantar Mantar 1.0 protest".
Each outlet we read put a different part of the weekend first.
How the outlets told it
- The Hindu: journalists, protesters and an MP allege police brutality, while police cite non-cooperation.
- Hindustan Times: stadiums and halls doubling as detention centres for 7,000 people.
- Inshorts: Shyam Meera Singh's detention, with the AISA chief also held.
None of them gives a reason for Shyam Meera Singh's detention.
What we don't know yet
- Why Shyam Meera Singh was detained: Inshorts gives no reason.
- Whether he has been released, and whether police have commented on his case.
- A fuller police account of the journalists' detentions.
What happens next
An opposition march to the Supreme Court is expected on Monday 12 October, and the CJP has set a 24-hour ultimatum, according to a Times of India headline. Our earlier story covers the release of three CJP leaders: CJP leaders freed on ₹50,000 bond to keep peace for a year.
Questions people are asking
Were journalists detained during Chalo Dilli?
Yes. About a dozen were detained in Delhi on 11 October, and several say they showed press cards, The Hindu reported.
How many people were detained in Delhi?
Close to 7,000 from early 10 October, Hindustan Times reported.
Why was Shyam Meera Singh detained?
That is not known yet. Inshorts, which reported his detention, gives no reason.
How we did this
We read the reports by The Hindu, Hindustan Times and Inshorts on the detentions of 10 and 11 October 2026, checked at 01:15 IST on 12 October. We set each claim beside the outlet that made it and compared what each report put first.
This story was produced with AI assistance and reviewed, edited and verified by the reporter before publication.
Covered by 36 outlets across the spectrum: 47% left, 17% center, 36% right.
Who is covering this story
- Left-leaning (6): The Quint, The Hindu, Scroll.in, The New Indian Express, Greater Kashmir, The Federal
- Center (5): ABP Live English, Hindustan Times, Deccan Herald, Inshorts, Mid-Day
- Right-leaning (4): Times Now, Times of India, Deccan Chronicle, India Today
Sources
- 'Detained Despite Showing Press ID': Police Crackdown on Media Amid CJP Protest — The Quint (left-leaning) ·
- Journalists detained in Delhi’s massive police crackdown on youth protest — The Hindu (left-leaning) ·
- How TV channels covered the protests as ‘anarchy’ and ignored the detentions of journalists — Scroll.in (left-leaning) ·
- ‘Blatant Attack On Press Freedom’: 4 Media Bodies Condemn Journalist Detentions In Delhi — Times Now (right-leaning) ·
- 'Blatant Attack On Press Freedom': Press Bodies Condemn Detention Of Journalists At Delhi Protests; Seek Probe — ABP Live English (center) ·
- ‘Blatant attack': Press bodies condemn detention of journalists at Delhi protest‘Blatant attack': Press bodies condemn detention of journalists at Delhi protest — Times of India (right-leaning) ·
- Delhi protest: Press bodies condemn detention of journalists; demand apology, probe — The New Indian Express (left-leaning) ·
- Press bodies condemn detention of journalists covering Delhi protests; demand apology, inquiry — Greater Kashmir (left-leaning, AI-estimated) ·
- ‘Reminiscent of a fascist state’: Press bodies demand Delhi Police's apology for detaining journalists during Jantar Mantar stir — Hindustan Times (center) ·
- CEC protests: At least nine journalists detained while covering demonstrations in Delhi — Scroll.in (left-leaning) ·
- Journalists Detained, Roughed Up During Delhi Protests — Deccan Chronicle (right-leaning) ·
- Dozen journalists covering Delhi anti-CEC protest detained — Deccan Herald (center) ·
- Journalists, protesters, MP allege police brutality; cops cite non-cooperation during detentions — The Hindu (left-leaning) ·
- Delhi stadiums, halls double up as detention centres for 7,000 during CJP's Jantar Mantar protest — Hindustan Times (center) ·
- YouTuber Shyam Meera Singh detained by Delhi Police — Inshorts (center) ·
- ‘Put into buses, vans despite IDs’: Journalists detained again — Times of India (right-leaning) ·
- Women's Bodies Slam Police Action Against Female Journalists: 'Free Press Cannot Function Under Threat' — Times Now (right-leaning) ·
- CPI MP Writes Home Minister Over Detention, 'Harassment' Of Journalists In Delhi — Deccan Chronicle (right-leaning) ·
- CPI MP writes to HM Shah, demands action over journalists' detention — Mid-Day (center) ·
- Keralam CPI MP Sandosh Kumar urges Amit Shah to stop detention of journalists in Delhi — The Hindu (left-leaning) ·
- Editors Guild Condemns Detention Of 38 Journalists During Protests, Seeks Action Against Police — Times Now (right-leaning) ·
- Detention of journalists: ‘Free Speech Collective’ moves SC against Delhi Police — The Federal (left-leaning) ·
- 'Do Something Better': Inside My Five-Hour Detention As a Quint Journalist — The Quint (left-leaning) ·
- CEC Row: Journalists Protest Detentions, Equipment Seizures In Delhi; Rajdeep Warns Of Intimidation — India Today (right-leaning) ·
- Delhi stir: Protests against harassment and detention of journalists gain traction — The New Indian Express (left-leaning) ·
- 'Deshbhakti Aa Rahi Hai?': Journalists Protest Against Delhi Police Brutality — The Quint (left-leaning) ·
- Delhi protest: Journalists slapped with SC/ST Act for casteist slur against ACP — Times of India (right-leaning) ·
- DUJ Moves Supreme Court Over Alleged Detention of Journalists in Delhi — Deccan Chronicle (right-leaning) ·
- Against Journalist Rosy, Delhi ACP Vivek Bhagat's Counter-FIR Over 'Casteist Slurs' — Times Now (right-leaning) ·
- Press Council issues guidelines for journalists covering protests — Greater Kashmir (left-leaning, AI-estimated) ·
- Journalist, Sanjay Raut face contempt proceedings over remarks against CJI — India Today (right-leaning) ·
- 43 journalists detained, several assaulted, while covering protests against CEC: CPJ — The Hindu (left-leaning) ·
- PCI issues safety guidelines for journalists covering protests, demonstrations — The Hindu (left-leaning) ·
- Delhi Agitation: Mother-Daughter Duo Join Silent Protest, Condemn Corruption and Detentions — India Today (right-leaning) ·
- Press bodies demand FIR against Delhi police officer over alleged sexual assault — The Hindu (left-leaning) ·
- Journalists’ body seeks accountability for digital platforms — Greater Kashmir (left-leaning, AI-estimated) ·