Delhi Police has warned that any unauthorised gathering in the capital will invite legal action ahead of a proposed October 10 protest at Jantar Mantar, after Cockroach Janata Party leader Abhijeet Dipke said he would proceed with the march despite the restrictions.
Deputy commissioner of police Shrishti Pandey said prohibitory restrictions under Section 163 were in force across Delhi. She said protests were not permitted at Jantar Mantar or any other location while the order remained effective.
“Section 163 is in effect, meaning protests are not permitted—neither at Jantar Mantar nor anywhere else. Any gathering will be considered illegal, and we would be compelled to take necessary legal action against it,” Pandey told news agency ANI, according to the Times of India report.
The police warning places the proposed demonstration within Delhi’s wider system of regulated public assembly. Jantar Mantar is a designated protest site, but access to it and other public locations remains subject to police orders and restrictions issued for public safety and law-and-order management. The current order, as described by the DCP, prevents gatherings at the venue as well as at other locations in the capital.
Dipke said in a post on X that he would arrive in Delhi and march to Jantar Mantar on October 10. He also alleged that thousands of young people had been detained across the country ahead of the demonstration and accused the BJP government of attempting to intimidate protesters. The detention claim was made by Dipke in his post and was not independently detailed in the supplied report.
“I’ll be landing in Delhi tomorrow and will march to Jantar Mantar, come what may,” Dipke wrote. He also said that young people were no longer afraid of the government and that the alleged intimidation would not stop the protest.
The police, however, urged people not to participate in the proposed gathering. Pandey asked potential protesters to prioritise their own safety and that of their families, while reiterating that participation in an unauthorised assembly could lead to legal action.
The restrictions have immediate implications for movement and access around central Delhi, particularly for people travelling towards Jantar Mantar and nearby government and commercial districts. A gathering at a location where prohibitory orders are in force could also lead to police intervention, although the supplied report does not provide details of any deployment plan, traffic diversions or detention arrangements for October 10.
The proposed protest follows Dipke’s recent visit to Bengaluru, which he described in a separate social media post. He thanked actor Prakash Raj and others for hosting him during the visit. That post was separate from his announcement about the Delhi demonstration.
Delhi Police’s stated position is that the restrictions remain applicable until they are withdrawn or modified. The immediate next step is whether the proposed march takes place on October 10 and how authorities respond to any gathering in violation of the order.
