New Delhi: Delhi Police detained Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke and All India Students’ Association (AISA) president Neha Bora on Friday evening, hours ahead of the planned “Lehra Do Tiranga” march at Connaught Place’s Central Park, as drones and heavy security monitored swelling crowds near the commercial hub.
Dipke was taken into preventive custody after police served him notices earlier in the day directing him not to visit Central Park, citing prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) that bar mass gatherings in the area. Visuals showed officers interacting with him before he was forced into a vehicle amid jostling crowds and media presence. Dipke was heard questioning the action, asking under what law he was being detained and asserting he had broken no law. He had earlier said the gathering was only to wave the national flag, not a formal protest.
Shortly after, Neha Bora and other AISA and Left party workers were detained near Mandi House and Barakhamba Road as they moved toward Connaught Place carrying Tricolours. Security personnel, including paramilitary forces, intercepted the group amid a face-off, with reports of pushbacks and detentions. Several other protesters were also picked up as they attempted to proceed with flags.
At Connaught Place, people carrying Tricolours reached the inner circle even as police began dispersing crowds and detaining demonstrators. Barricades, detention buses and a massive deployment—more than 6,000 Delhi Police personnel plus Central Armed Police Forces companies—were in place around Central Park, Rajiv Chowk, Palika Bazaar and adjoining roads. The New Delhi Municipal Council had closed Central Park to the public for administrative reasons on October 16 and 17. Additional CCTV cameras and aerial surveillance assets, including drones, were deployed to monitor movement, consistent with security measures used during last week’s protests.
The call for the 5 pm march followed the judicial custody of CJP leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka after they entered the denotified Jantar Mantar site with the national flag earlier this week. The CJP has been demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The Delhi High Court on Thursday declined to restrain the gathering but recorded police assurances of regulation. Counter-gatherings were also reported, with some Palika Bazaar shopkeepers chanting in support of police and the government, while Aam Aadmi Party workers held separate Tricolour marches in central Delhi.
Traffic advisories warned of disruptions on key roads around Connaught Place from 3 pm. As of late evening, detentions continued and the planned assembly at Central Park had not materialised in the face of the clampdown, with police describing the action as preventive.