Delhi Police asks CJP's Dipke to call off march, as protesters seek Indian CEC's resignation
The CJP livestreamed the exchange between Dipke and Delhi Police personnel, in which the former is heard asking an officer how unfurling the Indian flag is unlawful.
Delhi Police today (16 October) said it is planning to block all entries to Central Park in Connaught Place in the Indian capital ahead of a proposed Tiranga or flag march by Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke, while allowing traffic and pedestrian movement in the inner and outer circles of the park.
A police team also visited Dipke's place of stay to verbally inform him about prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), in force in the New Delhi area, and urge him to call off the march and maintain peace and law and order, reports Hindustan Times.
The CJP livestreamed the exchange between Dipke and Delhi Police personnel, in which the former can be heard asking an officer how unfurling the Tricolour, referring to the Indian flag, is unlawful.
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Security was stepped up and police warned of traffic disruptions in Delhi today as the "cockroach" movement called for a rally in the central business district, its latest in a series of protests demanding the resignation of India's election chief, reports Reuters.
The youth-led CJP, opposition groups, and student organisations have held almost daily protests this month demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's resignation over a revision of voter lists that critics say favours Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party.
More than 130 million voters were deleted during the revision, but the Election Commission has denied favouring any party and said wrongly deleted voters can re-enrol. The BJP has accused rivals of trying to undermine democracy by wrongly questioning legitimate electoral processes.
Dipke called today's flag protest in support of two CJP leaders detained and sent to jail this week for five days for demonstrating at a protest site in violation of a ban.
CJP and left-wing student groups have urged supporters to gather at Central Park in New Delhi's busy Connaught Place shopping and food district this evening to wave and hoist the Indian national flag.
Delhi Police, however, urged people not to join "such assemblies", and the civic authority announced late on Thursday that the park itself would be closed for two days "due to administrative reasons".
