Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke and All India Students’ Association (AISA) national president Neha Bora were detained by Delhi Police on Friday ahead of the proposed ‘Lehra Do Tiranga’ march at Connaught Place, even as supporters carrying the national flag assembled in nearby areas despite prohibitory restrictions.
Officials said Dipke was taken into preventive custody as he left his residence in Jhandewalan to head towards the scheduled 5 pm protest.
Police also said the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) had not granted permission for the proposed event. They clarified that displaying the Tricolour was not prohibited, but holding a march or assembly without authorisation at a restricted location was not permitted. The CJP has disputed the action against its members and argued that citizens should be allowed to protest peacefully. The outfit has also been demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Protesters and opposition parties have questioned large-scale deletions of names from voter lists. The court, however, did not grant permission for an assembly at Central Park.
Police had earlier served him notices, warning him against holding an unauthorised march in the restricted area. On Thursday, the Delhi High Court declined to restrain the proposed protest outright and recorded the police’s assurance that any gathering would be regulated in accordance with law.
