The Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP) ‘Lehra Do Tiranga’ call in Delhi on Friday was marked by police action, including a visit by Delhi police to Abhijeet Dipke’s residence and his detention while on his way to Connaught Place (CP). The party later alleged that he had been taken to an “undisclosed” location, even as a large crowd gathered in central Delhi.
At least 150 people were detained around Janpath Road, Connaught Place and Mandi House. All India Students’ Association (AISA) president Neha Bora was also detained. By the end of the day, teams representing both Dipke and Bora said they had no information about their whereabouts.
Despite the detention, hundreds of Cockroach Janta Party supporters and student activists staged flash protests at multiple locations in central Delhi.
Carrying the national flag and raising slogans of 'Jai Hind', protesters walked through Connaught Place's inner circle before dispersing and regrouping at different locations.
Members of the All India Students' Association (AISA) staged a separate protest at Mandi House, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, rollback of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and withdrawal of the 2023 Election Commissioner Appointment Act. Minor scuffles broke out as police tried to disperse the crowds.
Earlier in the day, more than 20 police personnel visited Dipke's residence and served him a notice asking him to refrain from actions that could prejudice the rights of citizens, traders, commuters, patients and others.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) also held a Tiranga march near Rashtrapati Bhavan and its central Delhi headquarters. Party workers carrying the national flag raised slogans of "Bharat Mata ki Jai" and "Vande Mataram".
Political row over protests
The demonstrations triggered a political confrontation, with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh accusing the Congress and its allies of attempting to engineer regime change along the lines of Bangladesh by using young people to spread "anarchy".
Addressing a press conference in Lucknow, Singh said democracy did not give anyone the licence to create disorder or undermine constitutional institutions.
He alleged that opposition parties were exploiting youth sentiment to fuel political confrontation rather than channel it towards nation-building.
"The youth of the country are being made pawns in the politics of anarchy," he said, adding that statements by opposition leaders referring to Bangladesh as an inspiration for regime change indicated their intention to destabilise the country.
West Bengal minister and BJP leader Dilip Ghosh, meanwhile, accused the CJP of disrupting Navratri and Durga Puja celebrations through political demonstrations, claiming the protests were creating tension during the festive season.
Arvind Kejriwal said on X, “This is nothing but outright dictatorship. Is it a crime to hoist the tricolour? Abhijeet's arrest shows how much Modi ji fears them."
Former Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin also sought to know where Abhijeet Dipke and Neha Bora are. “Detaining them without disclosing their whereabouts is blatantly illegal and deeply inhumane. The Union Government must release them immediately and stop suppressing peaceful protests. Every attempt to crush the movement will only make it stronger,” he wrote on X.
Former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee also condemned Dipke's detention, calling it "nothing short of an undeclared Emergency".
"Abhijeet Dipke has been detained for holding the Indian National Flag. Let that sink in. In Independent India, our youth are being detained for peacefully asserting their democratic rights," she said in a post on X.
Security curbs, traffic restrictions
Security was tightened across Connaught Place ahead of the proposed march, with police cordoning off Central Park and forming a human chain along its railings.
More than 6,000 Delhi Police personnel, 220 companies of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) and an expanded CCTV network were deployed in New Delhi.
The security arrangements cover Connaught Place, Rajiv Chowk, Central Park, Jantar Mantar, Palika Bazaar, nearby Metro stations and other sensitive locations in Lutyens' Delhi. Additional personnel from other districts were mobilised to prevent any law-and-order situation during the march.
Police had also erected barricades at several locations, including Connaught Place, Patel Chowk, ITO and Sansad Marg.
The park remained closed to the public on Friday and Saturday under prohibitory orders issued under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), which barred mass gatherings in Connaught Place and adjoining areas.
The march was announced amid a stand-off between the CJP and Delhi Police over demonstrations against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. It was called after CJP leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were sent to judicial custody for entering Jantar Mantar on October 13.
(With inputs from PTI)