New Delhi: Delhi Police detained Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke and fellow protester Neha Bora on Friday, significantly escalating the standoff over the proposed ‘Lehra Do Tiranga’ march in the national capital. While Dipke was detained as he attempted to reach Connaught Place, Bora was taken into custody during a demonstration at Mandi House against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Earlier in the day, a team of 15 to 20 police personnel arrived at a residence in Jhandewalan where Dipke was staying. They served him a formal notice stating that prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) had been invoked around the Connaught Place area. Police officials informed him that while waving the national flag is not illegal, holding a march and gathering a massive crowd without prior administrative permission violates the restrictions.
The march was scheduled for 5 PM at Central Park to protest the recent arrests of CJP members Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das. In anticipation of the gathering, authorities turned New Delhi into a fortress. Over 6,000 Delhi Police personnel and 220 companies of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) were deployed across sensitive zones. According to senior police officials, the CAPF personnel were stationed in three shifts to secure borders, metro stations, and key Lutyens’ Delhi intersections, with an additional 5,000 personnel kept on reserve.
To further prevent mass gatherings, the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) sealed off Central Park to the general public for October 16 and 17. A petition challenging the NDMC’s decision to close the park quickly reached the Supreme Court. However, the top court declined an urgent hearing on the matter, expressing hope that “good sense will prevail” among all the concerned parties.
The police action immediately sparked political reactions. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh launched a scathing attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), alleging that the ruling party was deliberately stopping citizens from unfurling the national flag and causing severe financial losses to local traders by shutting down commercial hubs.