Delhi anti-CEC protests continued on Saturday, October 17, with women’s and student groups demonstrating against alleged police mistreatment of protesters, even as Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke and All India Students’ Association president Neha Bora were released from detention.
A Special Executive Magistrate ordered Mr. Dipke’s release after he signed a ₹50,000 peace bond stating that he would not participate in any activity that could breach the peace or create a law-and-order situation. He had been detained on Friday evening, minutes before the ‘Lehra Do Tiranga’ march at Connaught Place.
Ms. Bora, who was detained at Mandi House during a protest march on Friday, was released after being held for around 12 hours. AISA activists said they had searched police stations before locating her at the R.K. Puram Police Station. They also alleged that she had been denied access to medicines while in detention. The police position on those allegations was not included in the report.
The releases came as women’s groups led a march along Ashoka Road to the Delhi Police headquarters. Representatives of the All India Democratic Women’s Association, the National Federation of Indian Women, the All India Progressive Women’s Association, the All India Mahila Sanskritik Sangathan, the All India Feminist Alliance and other women’s and student organisations took part.
The groups accused Delhi Police personnel of “sexualised and gender-based violence” against women, transgender people and other gender-diverse protesters during demonstrations that began on October 2. Their memorandum to the police chief cited videos, photographs and personal accounts alleging assault inside police detention buses and detention centres, and sought accountability and legal action against officers found responsible.
The memorandum was submitted by a delegation of 15 to 20 representatives after a brief standoff and sloganeering outside the police headquarters. AIDWA vice-president Mariam Dhawale alleged that the authorities’ actions were intended to silence women protesters and demanded action against police personnel accused of misconduct. The allegations have not been independently established in the report.
Later, around 30 students and activists associated with Justice Morcha staged a demonstration outside the Press Club of India. They were detained while travelling towards Jantar Mantar and released in the evening, according to the report. The protests were part of continuing opposition to the Chief Election Commissioner and the Special Intensive Revision, or SIR.
The Delhi Police registered at least two FIRs against organisers and protesters over alleged violations of prohibitory orders during Friday evening’s march in Connaught Place. Police said Mr. Dipke was released because his case involved an alleged violation of prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, while CJP members Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka faced more serious allegations, including trespass.
A lawyer representing Mr. Dipke questioned why the police repeatedly brought him before a Special Executive Magistrate instead of producing him before the magistrate with jurisdiction over the case. Abhik Chimni, who was part of the legal team representing Ms. Bora, described her overnight detention as unlawful and questioned the use of preventive custody and Section 163 of the BNSS. The police did not provide a response to those specific claims in the report.
The protests and detentions have placed renewed focus on how prohibitory orders are being used to manage demonstrations in central Delhi, where major public institutions, government offices and public gathering sites are located. The immediate legal and administrative steps will depend on the FIRs, the peace bond signed by Mr. Dipke and the complaints submitted to the Delhi Police headquarters.
