Saturday is set to bring a direct test of whether the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) can reach Jantar Mantar for their second stint after Delhi Police denied permission for its October 10 protest and authorities imposed sweeping restrictions across the capital.CJP leaders Abhijeet Dipke, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka will arrive at Delhi airport’s Terminal 3 at 10 am on Saturday. Activists Dhruv Rathee and Prakash Raj are also expected to join them, while Ratna Singh and Aafreen Nawaz reached Delhi late on Friday night.CJP leaders speaking to The Tribune have made it clear that it does not plan to abandon the protest.Nawaz said: “Restrictions on the movement had become a central part of the confrontation. We are being followed by the government machinery. Since we landed, a vehicle is following us from the airport. It actually feels like emergency.”On the other hand, Dipke said volunteers would proceed with the plan, and the CJP had issued an advisory listing dos and don’ts.Commenting on the beefed-up security and transportation curbs in view of the protest, he said, “Shut down the entire country if you are so scared of the youth.”Meanwhile, the Delhi Police have denied permission to the CJP for holding the protest at Jantar Mantar, citing the short notice given for the application and alleged violations during an earlier CJP demonstration. The police also said Jantar Mantar could accommodate only 1,000 people and that overcrowding during the previous protest had led to violence. Restrictions under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita have also been imposed in the New Delhi district.The security measures have already begun affecting movement in and around central Delhi. Entry and exit at 57 Metro stations have been suspended from Friday night until further orders. Thirty-eight trains scheduled to arrive at New Delhi and Hazrat Nizamuddin railway stations between 4 am and 2 pm on Saturday have also been cancelled.The CJP leadership has rejected the restrictions and said it does not view the denial of permission as the end of the protest.”We have to go back to the old electoral rolls. We cannot assume elections will become free and fair merely because Gyanesh Kumar resigns. The SIR has to be rolled back because that is the core issue,” CJP leader Ashutosh Ranka said.The party is also expected to challenge the security arrangements on the ground. Dipke questioned the deployment of 23,000 security personnel across New Delhi and argued that protesters should be allowed to assemble at the designated site.”Just let them gather there. That’s how democracy should function. They have turned Jantar Mantar into a border area. It’s like the India-Pakistan border,” he said.CJP chief spokesperson Saurav Das also described the situation as an “emergency” and said the capital had been turned into a fortress.For the party, Saturday is being projected as more than just another political rally. CJP leaders say it is a test of whether a youth-led movement can reach a designated protest site despite restrictions on movement and access routes. Ranka said the leadership was prepared for detention, alleging that authorities had already begun detaining supporters since Friday morning.”They don’t fear this regime anymore,” he said. Dipke also questioned the statutory immunity available to the Chief Election Commissioner. “How can he have that immunity? How can he be above the Constitution of India and the rule of law? He’s just an ordinary citizen,” he said.As Saturday unfolds, CJP supporters are expected to attempt to march towards Jantar Mantar even as security and transport restrictions remain in force. The key flashpoint will be whether the protesters reach the designated site or are stopped before getting there.