The Delhi flag march scheduled at 5 p.m. on October 16 is expected to disrupt traffic around Connaught Place and adjoining central Delhi areas, with several roads to be closed, barricaded or diverted, while Delhi Metro services remain operational, according to a traffic advisory issued by the Delhi Traffic Police on October 15.
The march, called the ‘Tiranga Lehrao’ march by Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke, is planned at Central Park in Connaught Place. The event has been announced as a protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision exercise. The allegations are part of the organisers’ stated reason for holding the protest and have not been independently established in the material supplied.
Central Park has been closed for two days for what authorities described as “administrative reasons”. The Delhi High Court has refused to restrain the CJP from holding the proposed protest in the national capital. The court’s decision means the event can proceed subject to the restrictions and conditions imposed by the authorities.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Neha Yadav said prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita were in force in Connaught Place and adjoining areas to “maintain peace and tranquillity and protect human life and public and private property”. She also said that a limited number of people could be allowed to carry the national flag and sing the national anthem at a suitable location.
The officer stressed that the display and carrying of the national flag and the singing of the national anthem must take place in the prescribed manner and with due respect, dignity and decorum. The police position places the proposed gathering within a controlled public-space and traffic-management framework rather than treating Central Park and its surrounding roads as freely accessible event space.
The roads listed as likely to be affected include Sansad Marg, Baba Kharak Singh Marg, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Marg, Panchkuian Road, Basant Lane, Chelmsford Road, Minto Road, Barakhamba Road, Kasturba Gandhi Marg, Tilak Marg, Sikandra Marg, Janpath, Rail Bhawan, Rafi Marg, ‘C’ Hexagon, Mandi House, Patel Chowk, Windsor Place, Gole Dak Khana, Ashok Road between GPO and ‘C’ Hexagon, and Tolstoy Marg.
The traffic advisory asks commuters to plan their journeys in advance, allow additional travel time, use public transport wherever possible and follow directions from personnel deployed at the affected locations. It also directs motorists not to park on roadsides and to use designated parking areas.
The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation has not announced the closure of any station because of the march. According to the report, all metro stations and services were functioning as usual at the time of publication, and no advisory regarding station closures had been posted on the DMRC’s social media accounts. The traffic restrictions and police deployment will remain the key operational measures around the event on October 16.
