A Tiranga march at Delhi’s Connaught Place saw rival groups supporting and opposing the central government gather near Palika Bazaar on Friday evening, while police detained several organisers and protesters ahead of the event.
The march, titled ‘Lahara Do Tiranga’, had been called at Central Park by the Cockroach Janata Party, according to Live Hindustan – NCR. Shortly before the march began, police detained Abhijit Dipke from a house in Jhandewalan. AISA president Neha Bora was also detained before she could reach Central Park. The report did not specify the legal provisions used in either detention beyond the police action described in connection with restrictions in the area.
Police also detained AISA workers and members of other Left organisations who were protesting near Mandi House. The protesters were demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Police cited the imposition of Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita in the area while taking the protesters into custody.
Despite the detentions, a large number of people reached Central Park and moved around the park as part of the march. The gathering later produced a second confrontation of slogans when people supporting the government arrived at the site alongside those opposing it.
Near Palika Bazaar, the two groups assembled opposite each other. Government supporters raised slogans in support of the government, including ‘Modi-Modi’, while the opposing group raised slogans against the Chief Election Commissioner. The number of people gathered at Connaught Place increased as the evening progressed, the report said.
Supporters of the Cockroach Janata Party and opposition supporters also raised slogans against the central government. The protesting groups demanded an immediate halt to the SIR process and repeated their demand for Kumar’s resignation. The report does not provide details of the number of people detained, the duration of custody, whether any cases were registered or whether anyone was injured.
The events placed Central Park, Palika Bazaar and nearby Connaught Place areas under heightened policing as competing groups used the same public space for political mobilisation. The report also does not specify how long the restrictions under Section 163 were scheduled to remain in force or what further action police planned after the march.
