Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Oct 16: Foiling the bid to wave the national flag enmasse as a mark of protest, the police on Friday detained the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder president Abhijeet Dipke and All India Students Association (AISA) chief Neha Bohra when they were on their way to Connaught Place to participate in the ‘Lehra Do Tiranga’ programme at the Central Park in Connaught Place.
While Mr Dipke was picked up from his home in Jhandewalan, Bohra was detained in Mandi House, both in Central Delhi. There was chaos with jostling crowds, camera crews and swarms of security personnel as the two were detained.
Delhi Police have served a notice on the CJP chief barring him from holding a protest at Connaught Place, hours before the party’s ‘Lehra Do Tiranga’ march scheduled for 5 p.m. Police have denied permission for the march, citing prohibitory orders in Connaught Place and adjoining areas. The New Delhi Municipal Council has also announced that Central Park will remain closed to the public on Friday and Saturday “for administrative reasons.”
This was the second detention in a week for Dipke. He was earlier detained right after his plane landed in Delhi from Mumbai for a protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over allegations of voter-list manipulation during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
One of the triggers for the march was the arrest of Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, the CJP spokespersons, who were sent to five-day judicial custody after they entered Jantar Mantar waving the national flag on October 13, a day after the historic site was denotified as a protest site.
Student leader Neha Bora, 29, who is among a number of prominent activists detained this weekend as the authorities cracked down on attempts by protesters led by the Cockroach youth movement, was detained near Jantar Mantar.
During a conversation with the police, Dipke was told, “Aap New Delhi nahi jaa sakte. Hum aapko detain kar rahe hain (You cannot go to New Delhi. We are detaining you).” He responded, “New Delhi nahi jaa sakta, kahin aur toh jaa sakta hoon. Maine kaunsa kanoon toda hai (I cannot go to New Delhi, but I can go somewhere else. What law have I broken?)”.
Before today’s detention, Delhi Police landed at Dipke’s home and served him a notice against carrying out the march. The notice, issued under Section 163 of the BNS, said prohibitory orders were in force around the Connaught Place area, a major shopping hub in the heart of the city. It further warned that the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has not given permission for the proposed Tiranga Yatra, and if the CJP decides to go ahead with the march it would be considered a violation of the law.
Dipke, who was wearing a white tee with a picture of Gandhi on it and denims, was also informed that waving the tiranga was not against the law, but staging an unpermitted march and gathering a crowd would be a violation of restrictions, and the Police would take legal action. The 31-year-old leader was also informed about the restrictions on treating the national flag with due respect in accordance with the Flag Code.
“Kya aarop laga diya hai aapne mere upar (What kind of accusation have you levelled against me?) Dipke, who has a small national flag draped across his shoulders and seated on an egg-yolk coloured sofa in his living room, is heard asking the cop in front of him, showed a video. A bunch of papers can be seen on the glass top table as Dipke is examining its contents and reading out bits, confronting the cops.
The CJP had called on the general public and its supporters to gather at the Central Park on Friday to wave the national flag as part of its protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over allegations of voter-list manipulation during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The Delhi Police said it could facilitate a select group of people to wave the national flag and sing the national anthem at a suitable spot.
One of the claims in the notice served to him, as read out by the 31-year-old Dipke, was that “you (Dipke) kept instigating the general public on social media which is unlawful.”
“Ye kya mazak laga rakha hai aap logon ne. Kya notice hai, ye notice hota hai? Jo maan main aaye woh likhe ja rahe ho aap log (What kind of a joke is this that you people are playing? What is this ‘notice’? Is this what you call a notice? You’re just writing down whatever you feel like),” Dipke asks the cop seated across him.
“Phansi pe chadha do na. Kya mazak hai ye (Go ahead, hang me. What kind of a joke is this?)” Dipke is heard telling the cop, challenging him to show even one video where he is instigating violence. “Video aap ek nahi dikha payenge (You won’t be able to show even one video),” Dipke challenged the cops even as he was being recorded by other cops in his own home.
Delhi Police said a prohibitory order under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) was already in force in Connaught Place, a major shopping hub in the city centre that is on the way to Jantar Mantar, and surrounding areas.
On Thursday, Dipke, at a press conference, said the campaign drew inspiration from Mahatma Gandhi and Dr BR Ambedkar and maintained that the party’s objective was to seek accountability through peaceful means. “We believe in peace and non-violence. We are believers in Gandhi and non-violence. We are only asking for accountability,” he had said.
Ahead of the yatra, the New Delhi Traders Association asked the protesters not to clog Connaught Place for their protests and asked them to hold demonstrations elsewhere. “Dear all political parties and protesters, we respect your right to protest and raise your voice, but CP is not your stage, it’s our workplace,” the traders’ association said.
The traders’ body said protests over the past three weeks have affected their sales, disrupted the livelihoods of shopkeepers, waiters, drivers, vendors and other staff, and caused road closures and traffic disruptions. They said the demonstrations made it difficult for people to go to work and earn, while keeping tourists and families away from public space.
Dipke had appealed to everyone to participate in the march, carrying national flag to the Central Park and Connaught Place, as the social media outfit keeps protesting against the Centre, accusing it of shielding Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar amid a row over the nationwide Special Intensive Revision (SIR) drive. “I request all political parties and civil society groups to rise above ideology and come together. If the right to vote is not saved, democracy will not be saved,” Dipke had said on Thursday.
But before the march, the Central Park has been shut down; although the Delhi Police has said it would allow a select group of people to wave the national flag and sing the national anthem at a suitable place. Cautioning that prohibitory restrictions under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) remain in place, the Delhi Police has advised people to maintain calm and peace during the march. It has also issued a traffic advisory, urging commuters to consider extra time before travelling through areas of the Central Delhi.
Ahead of CJP’s ‘Lehra Do Tiranga’ protest at Connaught Place, DCP Special Cell Narra Chaitanya said all security arrangements were in place to maintain peace. “We will ensure that the situation is peaceful. As of now, you can see that the situation is very peaceful,” he said.
Heavy security deployment was witnessed around Palika Bazaar in Delhi ahead of the ‘Lehra Do Tiranga’ protest at Central Park in Connaught Place. “Appropriate legal action will be taken against those who violate these orders,” DCP PRO Neha Yadav said. “The Delhi Police urges everyone to refrain from disrupting the peace and order established in the area and to avoid creating a situation that could hinder the operations of local businesses and shopkeepers.”
Commenting on the opposition agitation against the CEC and SIR, the BJP national president Nitin Nabin said the opposition’s use of terms like “regime change” clearly exposed their agenda of “destabilising the country in collusion with foreign powers.” In a post on X, Nabin alleged that the opposition’s fight was not for electoral reforms, the Special Intensive Revision, or the future of the country’s youth, but to spread anarchy and “seize power” at any cost.
“The use of terms like ‘regime change’ has clearly exposed the true agenda of the opposition before the country. This nefarious attempt to destabilise India in collusion with foreign powers is part of the agenda of urban naxals,” Nabin said in the post.