Delhi Police and paramilitary forces deployed around 6,000 personnel across Connaught Place as authorities tightened security for a protest organised by the Cockroach Janata Party, while New Delhi Municipal Council kept Central Park closed on October 16 and 17.
The party, founded by Abhijit Deepke, had called for people and supporters to gather at Central Park carrying the national flag and singing the national anthem. The protest was linked to demands for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the appointment of a new election commissioner through what the party described as an independent process.
Deepke said in a media interaction late on Wednesday that he feared arrest ahead of the programme. He alleged that Intelligence Bureau personnel were monitoring him and that vehicles without number plates were following him. These allegations were made by Deepke and were not independently confirmed in the report.
Deepke also referred to the arrests of two party leaders, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka. He said the party was protesting alleged irregularities in the SIR process and questioned whether demanding the removal of the Chief Election Commissioner constituted an offence. He stated that the party was prepared to go to jail for hoisting the national flag and would proceed peacefully.
The proposed gathering became a public-space and crowd-management issue after the New Delhi Municipal Council decided to close Central Park on October 16 and 17. Criticising the decision, Deepke questioned whether authorities would close every location if the party called for flag-hoisting programmes at 100 places in the future.
The Delhi High Court rejected an application seeking to stop the protest. However, the court recorded assurances given by the police that the gathering would be regulated. Delhi Police subsequently appealed to members of the public not to attend the programme, citing prohibitory directions under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita in Connaught Place and adjoining areas.
According to the police position reported by Bartaman Patrika, a group of up to 11 people could be allowed to carry the national flag and sing the national anthem at a suitable location within Central Park. Police officials warned that action would be taken if participants violated the restrictions. The deployment covered Connaught Place, one of Delhi’s busiest commercial and public gathering districts, increasing the immediate security presence around a central urban space.
The party had also announced a similar programme at Mumbai’s Azad Maidan from 10am to 5pm on October 16 in solidarity with the two arrested leaders. A police official said the Mumbai programme had been permitted because Azad Maidan is a designated protest location. The reported contrast between the restrictions in Connaught Place and permission at Azad Maidan reflects the role of designated protest spaces in managing public assemblies.
The Delhi administration’s next steps centre on enforcing the prohibitory directions, regulating any gathering at Central Park and responding to violations during the announced protest period.
