Delhi Police has deployed more than 25,000 personnel across New Delhi and nearby areas ahead of the Cockroach Janta Party’s ‘Lehra Do Tiranga’ march, while Central Park in Connaught Place has been closed and prohibitory orders imposed in the area.
The security measures include additional CCTV installations at Central Park and Rajiv Chowk Metro station, detention buses near Palika Bazaar and a police appeal asking people not to assemble at Central Park. The New Delhi Municipal Council said the park would remain closed to the public on Friday and Saturday “due to administrative reasons”.
The CJP has called the march over the arrests of its leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka earlier this week. The group has also been demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision of voter rolls. All India Students’ Association’s Neha Bora and the Aam Aadmi Party are expected to mark their presence at the protest.
The march comes after Jantar Mantar was de-notified as a protest site. The organisers have instead identified Central Park as the location, prompting restrictions in and around Connaught Place. The Delhi Police said prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita were already in force in Connaught Place and adjoining areas to “maintain peace and protect lives and public and private property”.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (PRO) Neha Yadav said the police could facilitate a selected group of people to carry the national flag and sing the national anthem at a suitable location. The police appeal, however, asked the public not to gather at Central Park during the march.
A high-level meeting chaired by Delhi Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar was held ahead of the protest. Senior officers, including the Joint Commissioner of Police and the Deputy Commissioner of Police for the New Delhi area, attended the meeting.
A senior police officer said closing metro stations was not an option at that stage, although it had been reserved as a last-ditch measure. Additional CCTV cameras were being installed at gates 1 and 3 of Rajiv Chowk Metro station, while new cameras were being put up at the entrance to Central Park, which had not previously had CCTV coverage.
According to sources cited in the report, around 25,000 personnel were scheduled to be deployed around New Delhi, with another 5,000 called in for the march. Around 16 detention buses were positioned between Sansad Marg and Tolstoy Road near Palika Bazaar, one of Connaught Place’s main commercial areas.
The restrictions have also affected traders. Vinay Thakur, who runs an electronics shop in Palika Bazaar, said businesses had already been affected by closures during earlier protests. Atul Bharagava, president of the New Delhi Traders Association, said traders recognised the right to protest but also sought protection for their livelihoods during the festive season.
Bharagava said business in the area had fallen to 10% during the CJP’s July protests over the NEET paper leak and that about 25,000 workers depended on Connaught Place. The police statement also referred to representations from trader associations seeking protection from disorder and unlawful assemblies. The march-related restrictions and the status of metro operations remain subject to police decisions as the protest proceeds.
