AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal spoke out on Friday against the detention of activist Abhijeet Dipke and addressed the police presence that followed a Tiranga march held near Central Park in Connaught Place. Writing on X, Kejriwal posed the question of whether the national flag could be raised in one's own country before considering its display elsewhere. He wrote that those who objected to the national flag ought to relocate to Pakistan, and separately characterised the situation as authoritarian rule.

Whether displaying the national flag constitutes an offence has become a matter of public debate. Kejriwal's comments, made after the Tiranga rally near Central Park in Connaught Place, attributed the detention of Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP) activist Abhijeet Dipke — taken from the residence of NCP-SCP spokesperson Anish Gawande — to political motivation on the part of the Modi government, which he alleged was acting out of apprehension toward the activist's work.

Speaking to reporters, Delhi AAP President Saurabh Bharadwaj defended the party's organisational turnout, pointing to flag-march demonstrations that had previously taken place near the Rashtrapati Bhavan, and noted that a call for a Tiranga Yatra had been issued, with participants turning out in large numbers bearing Tricolours. Bharadwaj told a broadcaster that party members had stretched a 270-foot Tricolour across the area in front of Rashtrapati Bhavan and Parliament earlier that morning. Bharadwaj added that displaying one's own country's flag within a sovereign nation is, in the view of those he represents, entirely permissible.

The Bharatiya Janata Party's stance on flag displays has prompted debate, with some voices questioning whether any broadly acceptable option remains within the boundaries the party has outlined. The speaker also questioned why citizens displaying their own national flag should be treated as an offence, challenging the justification for the action taken by authorities, who, according to officials, detained roughly 150 people taking part in protests and a planned Lehra Do Tiranga march across central Delhi.

Flag-raising ceremonies were planned at multiple locations throughout Central Delhi. Members of AAP, along with party supporters, assembled at Central Park in Connaught Place and moved through the area with national flags in hand. Activists affiliated with the All India Students' Association (AISA) and several Left-aligned parties gathered near Mandi House, calling on Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar to step down from his post.

More than 6,000 personnel drawn from Delhi Police and the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) were positioned across the city. Officials cited the absence of formal authorisation, gathering-related prohibitory orders, and the restricted-access status of locations such as Connaught Place's Central Park as the basis for the deployment.

Abhijeet Dipke, a member of the CJP organisation, was taken into custody by Delhi Police at the home of NCP-SCP party spokesperson Anish Gawande. The officer conducting the arrest informed Dipke that he was being taken into preventive custody. Prohibitory orders under Section 163 are active across the Connaught Place area.

Two formal notices were served on Dipke by authorities. One document took the form of an order under Section 163 of the BNSS, drawn up by the New Delhi district authority operating under the Delhi Police Act, and it prohibited his entry into Central Park on grounds that public gatherings there were subject to active restrictions. The second document was a bond-violation notice from the South-West Delhi district authority, drawing on an earlier preventive proceeding that had named Dipke, Ashutosh, and Saurav. All three individuals had previously been taken into custody at the airport and brought before a judge, with prosecutors contending they had breached a one-year commitment to keep the peace.

A gathering of senior police officials was convened by Delhi Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar to assess the security plan drawn up for the Lehra Do Tiranga rally. A comprehensive traffic advisory was released by the police, according to Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic) DK Gupta. Neighbourhoods in the vicinity of Connaught Place were identified as likely to experience disruption, with staff members stationed throughout those areas to manage the flow of vehicles.

Diversions were prepared for activation in the event of disruption. Social media platforms were among the channels being monitored. Route adjustments were to be deployed upon notification of potential on-ground disruptions. The stated goal of the plan was to minimise travel disruptions for commuters. Travellers along affected routes were asked to observe the posted traffic advisory and to check for route changes before setting out, as diversions were to be put in place should any disruptions arise.