The Delhi Police has asked people not to join the CJP’s planned ‘Tiranga March’ at Connaught Place on October 16 and said only a group of 11 people has been permitted to carry flags and sing the national anthem at the designated location in Central Park.
The police said restrictive orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) are in force in Connaught Place and surrounding areas. It warned that anyone violating the orders could face legal action.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke had appealed to people to gather at Central Park at 5 pm on October 16 with the Tricolour. The appeal followed a call for the ‘Lehra Do Tiranga March’, which the source identifies as being organised by the Cockroach Janta Party, or CJP. The Delhi Police has urged the public not to participate in the event.
The restrictions follow proceedings in the Delhi High Court concerning a petition seeking to prevent CJP from holding a demonstration in the central part of the capital. The court declined to stay the event, while recording the police’s assurance that it would regulate and control the demonstration.
In a post on X, Dipke questioned whether the authorities would close 100 locations if organisers announced demonstrations at 100 places. The statement came after the police communicated the restrictions and the closure of Central Park.
The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has informed the Delhi Police that Central Park will remain closed on October 16 and 17 for administrative reasons, according to the police statement. The council has also said that crowds should not be allowed to gather around the park.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Neha Yadav said at a press conference that NDMC had informed the police about the two-day closure and had asked that no crowd be allowed near the park. The police said the decision was linked to the prevailing security and law-and-order situation in the area.
The restrictions also cover the wider operating environment around Connaught Place, one of New Delhi’s busiest commercial and public spaces. The police referred to complaints from trader associations in Connaught Place and nearby markets, which said disorderly crowds and unlawful gatherings could affect business. The associations expressed particular concern about possible disruption during the festival season.
The police also said the Aam Aadmi Party had appealed to people to participate in the demonstration and reach the venue in large numbers. The authorities’ stated position is that the event must be controlled through the restrictions already communicated, the closure of Central Park and the limited permission granted for the flag-bearing group.
The next immediate milestones are the scheduled march at 5 pm on October 16, the enforcement of Section 163 orders in Connaught Place and the planned closure of Central Park through October 17.
