New Delhi, Oct 16 (IANS) In a fresh action against planned protests in the national capital, Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke was detained from his residence on Friday, just minutes before he was scheduled to lead a ‘Lehra Do Tiranga’ rally at Central Park in Connaught Place, while student activist Neha Bora was also taken into custody near Mandi House as police tightened security across the heart of Delhi.
The detentions came amid tensions over protests following the arrest and judicial remand of two CJP co-convenors, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, who were sent to five days of judicial custody after allegedly entering Jantar Mantar and unfurling the national flag on October 13, a day after the designated protest site was de-notified.
This was the second time in a week that Dipke was detained by the Delhi Police. He was earlier taken into custody shortly after arriving in the national capital from Mumbai to participate in a protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged manipulation of electoral rolls during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR).
Ahead of Friday’s proposed rally, the Delhi Police had served Dipke a notice informing him that Connaught Place was not a notified protest site and that the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) had not granted permission for the proposed Tiranga Yatra. The notice, issued under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), warned that holding the march or assembling a crowd would violate prohibitory orders in force in the area.
During an interaction with police personnel at his residence, Dipke questioned the grounds for his detention, asking, “What kind of accusation have you levelled against me?” When told that he could not go to New Delhi and was being detained, he responded that he could go elsewhere and questioned what law he had violated.
Police clarified that waving the national flag was not prohibited, but organising an unauthorised procession and gathering a crowd in violation of restrictions could invite legal action. Dipke was also reminded of the provisions of the Flag Code concerning the respectful display of the national flag.
Meanwhile, the Delhi Police planned to deploy more than 6,000 personnel in and around the Lutyens’ Delhi area, with another 5,000 personnel kept in reserve from other districts. Security arrangements were intensified around Rajiv Chowk, Connaught Place markets, Central Park, nearby Metro stations, Jantar Mantar and Palika Bazaar. More than 10 CCTV cameras were also installed around Central Park and Rajiv Chowk to monitor the situation.
The CJP had planned the rally alongside student organisations, activists and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), with the march scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. In Mumbai, meanwhile, police granted permission for a similar ‘Lehra Do Tiranga’ rally at Azad Maidan, scheduled to begin at 10 a.m., to express solidarity with the two jailed CJP leaders.
–IANS
brt/dan
