The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has closed Central Park in Connaught Place to the public for two days, citing administrative reasons, ahead of a proposed “Lehra do Tiranga” march by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP). The park will remain shut on October 16 and 17, according to an NDMC notice dated October 15.
The notice, issued by the NDMC director, states: “It is hereby informed that the Central Park, Connaught Place, shall remain closed for general public on 16th October 2026 & 17th October 2026, due to administrative reasons.” It does not provide further details about the administrative measures or specify whether the closure is directly linked to the proposed march.
The CJP has scheduled its “Lehra do Tiranga” march at Central Park on Friday. However, the group had not been granted permission to hold the tricolour rally in Delhi at the time of the report. The proposed event has therefore been announced by the party, while its official status in the capital remains unresolved.
The closure affects access to one of Connaught Place’s central public spaces during the two-day period. Central Park is located in the inner circle of the commercial district, which includes offices, shops, restaurants and public movement routes. The NDMC notice applies to the general public and does not state any separate access arrangements during the closure.
The proposed march has been called by the CJP to show solidarity with party leaders Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das. According to a press note released by the party, the two leaders were sent to five-day judicial custody and lodged in Tihar Jail for allegedly violating their peace bonds and trespassing into Jantar Mantar.
Jantar Mantar has been denotified as a protest area, according to the report. The allegations concerning the two leaders and the circumstances of their custody were cited by the party as the reason for calling the march. The report does not include a response from the Delhi Police or details of any permission conditions imposed on the proposed event.
The CJP has received permission from the Mumbai Police to hold a rally at Azad Maidan on Friday, but that approval does not extend to its proposed Delhi march. The difference between the two cities leaves the status of the Connaught Place event dependent on the relevant Delhi authorities.
For visitors and businesses in Connaught Place, the immediate confirmed change is the temporary closure of Central Park on October 16 and 17. The NDMC notice does not announce any wider closure of Connaught Place, traffic restrictions or changes to commercial operations in the surrounding area.
The next confirmed developments are the implementation of the NDMC closure and any decision by the competent Delhi authorities on permission for the CJP’s proposed march.
