Photos show New Delhi turning into a fortress as protests sweep the country

Published: 08:41 EDT, 12 October 2026 | Updated: 08:41 EDT, 12 October 2026

New Delhi (AP) – It is past midnight in New Delhi, and the Indian capital is a fortress.

Rows of orange buses that authorities prepared to carry away protesters are parked along main roads, while camouflaged soldiers linger beside yellow barricades.

The city seems under watch as protests have swept the country.

Barricades block every arterial road leading to Jantar Mantar, the designated protest site. Police on Monday announced the site, a decades-long hub for protests, can no longer be used for rallies and that three other sites would replace it.

Protests led by the “Cockroach” youth movement are pushing for a nationwide campaign against a contentious revision to the voter list that has fueled anger at Prime Minister Narendra Modi´s Hindu nationalist government and election authorities.

An autorickshaw drives past a bus used to carry protestors, in the heart of New Delhi, India, Monday, Oct. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Yirmiyan Arthur)

This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.

Barricades stand on Kartavya Path, the ceremonial boulevard in the heart of New Delhi, India, Monday, Oct. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Yirmiyan Arthur)

Soldiers stand guard by a barricade in the heart of New Delhi, India, Monday, Oct. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Yirmiyan Arthur)

A dog stands near a bus, used to carry protestors, in the heart of New Delhi, India, Monday, Oct. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Yirmiyan Arthur)

Roadblocks pin a google map in the area leading to Jantar Mantar in the heart of New Delhi, India, Monday, Oct. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Yirmiyan Arthur)

Yellow buses, used to carry protestors, line a road in the heart of New Delhi, India, Monday, Oct. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Yirmiyan Arthur)

Policemen stand guard by a barricade in the heart of New Delhi, India, Monday, Oct. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Yirmiyan Arthur)

Riders drive past buses, used to carry protestors, in the heart of New Delhi, India, Monday, Oct. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Yirmiyan Arthur)

A man walks past security officers near a barricade in the heart of New Delhi, India, Monday, Oct. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Yirmiyan Arthur)

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