Delhi Police check hotels for ‘suspicious’ guests, tracks arrivals ahead of CJP's October 10 protest at Jantar Mantar

In some cases, officers question guests they consider suspicious based on factors they have been asked to look out for, people familiar with the checks said.

Delhi Police officials are visiting hotels, guest houses and other accommodation facilities across the Capital and questioning occupants deemed “suspicious” about the purpose of their visit ahead of Saturday’s protest call by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), at least four officials aware of the action said on Thursday.

Police said they are conducting checks for “large groups” arriving in Delhi for the protest (Hindustan Times)

At least one guest and two hotel staff who spoke to HT confirmed that police officers had visited and questioned them about the nature and duration of their stay in Delhi.

At least four police officials confirmed that directions had been issued to officers to visit hotels, hostels, guest houses and other temporary accommodation establishments to check who was staying there. “The teams are entering the premises, checking the occupant registers or logs maintained by owners and managers and checking against a list of factors,” one of the officers said.

In some cases, officers question guests they consider suspicious based on factors they have been asked to look out for, people familiar with the checks said.

These include the duration of the stay – officials are treating stays between October 8 and 11 as a factor warranting scrutiny – whether people have arrived in large groups, particularly those in their 20s and early 30s, and their stated purpose for visiting Delhi, said the people cited above.

“If they checked into the accommodation a day or two ago and plan to leave shortly after the weekend, they are being asked about their purpose of visit because they could potentially have come for the protest,” an official said.

All four officials declined to comment on what action would be taken against people whom the police identify as having come to Delhi to participate in the protest.

The third official said officers had been deputed to visit hotels, bed-and-breakfast establishments and paying guest accommodations, and had also been given a list of four- and five-star hotels, keeping in mind the “social profile” of some leaders of the protest.

A senior police officer said personnel had been asked to pay particular attention to rooms booked by someone other than the occupant. “To my knowledge, staff have been asked to focus on individuals staying in rooms booked by others on their behalf. For that reason, they are not only checking hotel registers but also matching IDs submitted by the guests. If there is any mismatch, the personnel may question the hotel staff, the guests or the persons who booked the rooms,” the officer said.

Police monitor organizers and travel routes

Another officer said that while local police personnel focused on potential protest participants, specialised units such as the Special Cell and Crime Branch had been directed to track key members of the CJP, left-wing organisations and civil society groups. “Locating the place of stay of social media influencer Dhruv Rathee and CJP’s founder Abhijeet Dipke is the prime responsibility of the Special Cell and Crime Branch teams,” the officer said.

The police have also been monitoring bus operators and checking bookings to establish who is hiring buses and where they are headed. Officers have been asked to identify any organised movement of people towards Delhi, particularly New Delhi, ahead of the October 10 protest.

“They have been asked to keep a watch on bus operators, including bookings being made and the destination. If there is organised movement of people towards New Delhi, the local police should be aware of it and stop it,” an officer said.

Police are also conducting checks around railway stations and the airport for “large groups” arriving in Delhi, they said. “We are not stopping or detaining anyone. We are just making inquiries. There’s intel that suspicious persons are coming to Delhi and will join the protest to violate law and order. We have got information from state police departments and railway police about groups of men coming in from different cities to Delhi. We are just verifying their details,” the officer said.

Guests and hotel staff describe police visits

“Around 4pm, two policemen showed up at the lobby of the hotel I was staying at. First, they were asking the staff if anyone was staying here who was going for the protest,” said a 39-year-old woman who was staying at a luxury hotel in south Delhi, who had travelled from Bengaluru for a friend’s wedding.

A staffer at a hotel in Paharganj -- 4km from Jantar Mantar -- said: “Two beat officers came here on Wednesday and checked our log books. Our owner asked them the reason and they said it’s all in the news, we should know. But they didn’t question any guests.” At another hotel in Paharganj, an employee said a cop visited on Thursday and sought list of people staying there. “We showed them the list on our laptop. They told us to inform them if any people in groups make bookings to leave on Saturday,” he said.

Reports of questioning and detentions beyond Delhi

Reports have also emerged from other parts of the country of people, particularly protesters or young people travelling in groups to Delhi, being detained or questioned about their plans.

An All India Youth Federation member from Mumbai said he received calls from Delhi Police while travelling to Delhi. He alleged that the officer accused him of travelling in a large group for the protest and called him a terrorist when he questioned the police action. He said he later deboarded at Faridabad and returned home.

In Bhopal, meanwhile, railway police said they detained 21 people travelling on the Goa Express towards Delhi for the protests. GRP Itarsi town inspector Sanjay Chauksey said police had received information that a large number of youths who could disrupt peace were travelling from Pune to Delhi. The youths were detained after checks on the train and taken to a hotel in Itarsi, he said, adding that they were being asked to return to Pune. The detained youths were seen at the railway station shouting that they were going to Delhi to protect their rights and the Constitution.

(With inputs from bureaus in Mumbai and Bhopal)