CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, AISA chief Neha Bora among 150 detained ahead of Delhi flag march
Police cite law and order and traffic management as priorities.
Highlights
- Dipke picked up from his Jhandewalan residence.
- Bora detained at Mandi House amid jostling.
- Police detain protesters at Connaught Place.
- Hundreds gather waving flags under heavy police deployment.
Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke and All India Students Association (AISA) president Neha Bora were among 150 protesters detained by police in New Delhi today (16 October) while heading to the CJP-called 'Lehra Do Tiranga' (Wave the National Flag) march.
Dipke was detained at his residence in Jhandewalan, while Bora was picked up at Mandi House. The detentions triggered jostling among protesters, camera crews and security personnel.
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Police sources said Dipke was taken to Jafarpur Kalan police station following his detention.
Police also detained protesters who reached Connaught Place, an upscale commercial area in the capital.
"We have detained Dipke and Bora. The situation is very peaceful. Some protesters have reached Connaught Place and will be removed soon. Our main objective is to maintain law and order and ensure smooth traffic movement," a senior police officer said.
Security personnel cordoned off Central Park by forming a human chain, while police allowed groups of protesters to march and chant slogans, with some carrying the national flag.
Hundreds of CJP supporters and student activists staged flash protests at Connaught Place and Mandi House, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar amid a heavy police deployment.
A group of protesters took multiple rounds of Connaught Place's inner circle, while others climbed barricades carrying flags, banners and placards.
Slogans including "Jai Hind", "Inquilab Zindabad" and "Gyanesh Kumar, ab tumhari baari hai" (Gyanesh Kumar, now it is your turn) echoed across the commercial hub in central Delhi as demonstrators moved between locations, dispersing and regrouping while police attempted to clear the area.
Students affiliated with AISA and the Students' Federation of India (SFI), the student wing of the CPI(M), also gathered at Mandi House, demanding Kumar's resignation, the rollback of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and the withdrawal of the 2023 Election Commissioner Appointment Act.
Left leaders also joined the march alongside members of the Democratic Youth Federation of India, another CPI(M)-affiliated organisation.
