Delhi Police detained Cockroach Janata Party founder Abhijeet Dipke and All India Students’ Association president Neha Bora on Friday as security forces dispersed an estimated 2,000 protesters gathered in and around Connaught Place for the CJP’s ‘Lehra Do Tiranga’ march.
The protest group was seeking the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. By 7 pm, the crowd had been dispersed from the Central Park area after a large deployment of Delhi Police and Central Armed Police Forces personnel across Central Delhi.
Police had served Dipke a notice at a house in Karol Bagh where he was staying with NCP (Sharad Pawar) spokesperson Anish Gawande. The notice prohibited him from holding the march “without seeking lawful permission” and said the police action was in furtherance of directions from the Delhi High Court. It cited the livelihood of traders and public movement in Connaught Place, stating that the area was not a notified protest site and that designated venues could be used subject to lawful permission.
Dipke was detained at about 4.50 pm when he stepped out of the house. According to the report, he asked police, “I am alone. Why are you stopping me?” before unfurling the Tricolour. Police personnel then moved him into a police van. Police sources said he was taken to Jaffarpur Kalan police station in South West Delhi, where he could be placed under preventive detention for 24 hours.
The CJP founder had arrived in Delhi on Wednesday, two days after senior party members Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das were arrested and sent to Tihar Jail for allegedly breaching security and entering Jantar Mantar on Monday. The arrests preceded Friday’s planned march towards Central Park.
Neha Bora called for a flash protest at Mandi House at about 5 pm. She began marching with supporters around 5.20 pm and was detained shortly afterwards. Another protest was called at Firozeshah Road around 6 pm by the Students’ Federation of India and other Left student organisations. The group, which was joined by MP John Brittas, marched towards Connaught Place before police began dispersing protesters from Central Park.
The security operation affected the functioning of the commercial district. More than 25,000 police and paramilitary personnel were deployed in the New Delhi district and nearby areas. Rapid Action Force personnel and Delhi Police officers were stationed near Central Park, while Central Industrial Security Force personnel patrolled the inner circle. Buses intended for detaining protesters were positioned near the park during the day.
Several shops and restaurants in Connaught Place remained shut, while traders in Palika Bazar raised slogans against the protesters, saying the demonstration was disrupting trade. The New Delhi Municipal Council also announced that Central Park would remain closed to the public on Friday and Saturday “due to administrative reasons”.
The heavy deployment followed clashes during the CJP’s march towards Parliament on July 20. Friday’s protest ended without a reported repeat of those clashes after police dispersed the gathering and detained key organisers.
