Delhi Police issued a formal notice to Abhijeet Dipke, the founder of Cockroach Janta Party, in the days before his party's planned 'Lehra Do Tiranga' march at Connaught Place. Whether he will be detained or taken into custody if the event proceeds remained without a definitive answer.
On Friday, officers arrived at Dipke's home and handed him a written notice instructing him to call off the planned march through central Delhi. Three grounds shaped the official position: no authorisation had been granted, gatherings of that kind fell under existing restrictions, and the potential for disorder had been flagged.
Thousands of police personnel and Central Armed Police Forces had been positioned across the national capital in preparation for the planned demonstration, a deployment that preceded the notice.
Organised by the CJP, the procession forms one element of a broader push to remove Gyanesh Kumar from his post as Chief Election Commissioner, with the group pointing to alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls as the basis for that demand. Dipke and fellow demonstrators put forward two demands: that the Election Commission account for the deletion of numerous names from electoral rolls, and that its processes be made more open to public scrutiny.
Authorisation from police is a prerequisite for the event to go ahead, according to the force's position. Under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, prohibitory orders have been put in place by the authorities, placing limits on gatherings within the zones where unrest has occurred.
Law enforcement flagged the possibility that a gathering held without official authorisation at Connaught Place might strain crowd management and weigh on business activity in the area. Issuance of the notice alone carries no guarantee that Dipke faces automatic detention.
Joining or hosting a banned assembly carries legal exposure for him and any attendees, with the precise risk shaped by which rules apply and how events unfold. How the situation develops depends on the precise language of the notice, which directives remain in effect, and whether authorities determine that a violation of those provisions occurred. Whether a given detention or arrest falls within the law depends on which legal provisions apply to the circumstances involved.
No indication has come from authorities that receiving the notice alone places Dipke on a path toward arrest. Before the march got underway, Dipke told reporters he was ready to accept arrest if that was what it took to take part in the planned national-flag rally. Raising a flag at a public gathering, he argued, faced no restrictions — and he stressed that those taking part had every intention of keeping the event orderly.
With the march still in the planning stage, the CJP is pressing ahead even as two of its members — Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka — remain under judicial remand, having been detained in connection with a separate protest-related incident in Delhi.
Foot patrols and vehicle deployments have been stepped up across Connaught Place, Rajiv Chowk, Central Park, and the surrounding streets by Delhi Police. Physical barriers went up at a number of locations, and extra surveillance cameras were fitted along key points to track how crowds moved through the area.
Central Park will remain closed on Friday and Saturday under a directive from the New Delhi Municipal Council, which attributed the decision to administrative grounds. Authorities have indicated they are open to the possibility of allowing a restricted number of demonstrators to display the national flag at a designated alternative venue, provided that workable arrangements can be put in place.
At issue is whether the CJP will go ahead with its planned march in the face of the police notice and the restrictions that have been put in place. Should the event proceed, officials retain the authority to apply the standing directives. Tensions between the CJP and Delhi Police have grown as demonstrations over the electoral roll revision remain ongoing.
Two paths remain open: the organisers mount a legal challenge, or police press ahead with further measures — and the direction taken will determine how the dispute develops.
