Delhi Police detained Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke and All India Students’ Association (AISA) chief Neha Bohra on Friday ahead of the party’s proposed ‘Lehra Do Tiranga’ protest at Central Park in Connaught Place.
Bohra was detained in Mandi House while she was on her way to Connaught Place to participate in the protest. Her detention came amid heightened security arrangements and restrictions on the proposed gathering in the national capital.
Dipke was placed under preventive detention as he left the residence of Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) spokesperson Anish Gawande.
A police official told Dipke that Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) was in force in Connaught Place and that he could not proceed to New Delhi.
Questioning the action, Dipke asked the police what law he had violated.
“Aap New Delhi nahi jaa sakte. Hum aapko detain kar rahe hain” (You cannot go to New Delhi. We are detaining you), a police official told him.
Dipke responded, “New Delhi nahi jaa sakta, kahin aur toh jaa sakta hoon. Maine kaunsa kanoon toda hai?” (I cannot go to New Delhi, but I can go somewhere else. What law have I broken?)
Delhi Police Serve Notices, Cite Public Safety Concerns
Delhi Police also served two notices on Dipke, according to police sources.
The first notice, issued under the Delhi Police Act, directed him not to visit Central Park, citing prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the BNSS.
The second notice, issued by the South West Delhi police, related to an earlier incident in which Dipke, Ashutosh Ranka and Sourav Das were taken into preventive custody at the airport and produced before a court. It referred to a court directive requiring the three to refrain from causing public disturbances for one year, the sources said.
An earlier notice issued by the Connaught Place station house officer cited the risks of stampedes, traffic disruption and threats to public safety. It also referred to the area’s limited entry and exit points, heavy pedestrian and vehicular traffic, and the presence of Rajiv Chowk Metro station.
The police said the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) had not granted permission for the proposed march and warned that proceeding with the demonstration could invite legal action.
Dipke Questions Modi Over Police Deployment
Ahead of the protest, Dipke questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the heavy police deployment in Connaught Place.
Sharing a video showing security personnel near the protest site on X, he wrote, “Heavy police force deployed at the gate just to stop Tiranga. Why are you against Tiranga, @narendramodi?”
More than 6,000 police personnel had been deployed in the New Delhi area, while an additional 5,000 personnel from other districts had been kept in reserve, according to the protest arrangements outlined earlier.
CCTV surveillance was also stepped up around Connaught Place, Central Park and Rajiv Chowk.
Why Is CJP Organising the Tiranga Protest?
The CJP announced the ‘Lehra Do Tiranga’ demonstration to protest the arrest and judicial custody of its leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka.
The two were arrested on October 13 after entering Jantar Mantar with the national flag, following the site’s de-notification as a designated protest venue. They were subsequently remanded to five days of judicial custody and lodged in Tihar Jail.
Dipke has maintained that waving the national flag is not a crime and called on people across the country to organise similar demonstrations in solidarity with the jailed leaders.
Meanwhile, NCP-SCP spokesperson Anish Gawande expressed support for the proposed march after police arrived at his residence, where Dipke had been staying.
“If the police do not allow us to go, it will show the government’s cowardice. Those who speak of ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ should not be afraid of the Tricolour,” Gawande said.
The CJP also received permission to hold its ‘Lehra Do Tiranga’ rally at Mumbai’s Azad Maidan at 10 am on Friday. Deputy Commissioner of Police Manish Kalwaniya confirmed the permission to PTI on Thursday, adding that the organisers had agreed to hold the rally at the designated protest site.
