AISA president Neha Bora was released early Saturday after being detained ahead of a protest march at Connaught Place in New Delhi, while Cockroach Janata Party founder Abhijeet Dipke remained in custody and was scheduled to appear before a Special Executive Magistrate court, Delhi Police said.
Bora and Dipke were taken into preventive custody on Friday before the ‘Lehra Do Tiranga’ march. The detentions placed police powers over public demonstrations at the centre of events in Connaught Place, one of New Delhi’s most prominent commercial and public gathering areas.
Delhi Police said Bora was released after formalities related to her detention under Section 65 of the Delhi Police Act were completed. The provision was cited as the legal basis for the preventive action taken against her.
According to the report, police initiated action against Dipke under Sections 126 and 170 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita. He was subsequently arrested and was expected to be produced before the Special Executive Magistrate court later on Saturday.
The different legal processes involving the two detainees mean that Bora’s release followed completion of preventive-detention formalities, while Dipke’s case moved to a magistrate proceeding. The report did not provide details of the allegations against Dipke beyond the sections cited by police or indicate the court’s decision ahead of his appearance.
Bora confirmed her release in a post on social media. “I have been released!” she wrote, while calling for the release of other detained protesters and saying that fighting for democracy and the Constitution should not be criminalised. Her statement was a response to the detention ahead of the march and did not provide further details about the police action.
The case highlights how planned demonstrations in central Delhi can trigger preventive measures before a march begins. In such cases, the immediate administrative questions include the legal basis for detention, the duration of custody and whether detainees are released after police formalities or produced before a magistrate.
The available report did not state how many other protesters were detained, whether the march took place as planned, or whether Delhi Police issued a separate explanation for restricting or managing the gathering at Connaught Place. It also did not provide the outcome of Dipke’s scheduled appearance before the Special Executive Magistrate.
Bora’s release was confirmed early Saturday after the detention formalities were completed. Dipke’s next reported procedural step was his production before the Special Executive Magistrate court later the same day, while further details about the other detentions and the protest remained awaited.
