Hundreds of supporters linked to the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and its affiliated student organisations gathered at multiple points across the national capital, holding unplanned protests tied to the 'Lehra Do Tiranga' call, after which authorities detained CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, the AISA president, and upwards of 150 other attendees. The crowd moved in a loose formation through Connaught Place's central ring, periodically breaking into chants of "Jai Hind" before scattering and gathering again at various points around the area. A portion of those gathered joined in singing the national anthem.
At Mandi House, a gathering that included students alongside members of the All India Students' Association (AISA) raised voices against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, calling for his removal and an end to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process being applied to electoral rolls. A Tiranga procession organised by the Aam Aadmi Party wound through central Delhi, passing both Rashtrapati Bhavan and the party's own headquarters.
On Friday and Saturday, Central Park was shut to visitors under prohibitory orders that police invoked through Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), a provision restricting mass gatherings across Connaught Place and surrounding areas, following a directive from the CJP. Abhijeet Dipke, the CJP founder, was detained by officers near his Jhandewalan residence before he had any opportunity to make his way to the Connaught Place event. A notice from Delhi Police reached Dipke that same morning, hours before the day's later developments unfolded.
Neha Bora was taken into custody at the Mandi House location. Physical confrontations flared between spectators, broadcast personnel, and security staff as the arrest process got under way.
At Azad Maidan in Mumbai, participants affiliated with CJP and their supporters held a 'Lehra Do Tiranga' rally, calling on authorities to remove CEC Gyanesh Kumar from his position. Activist Anjali Damania addressed the gathered crowd and pressed for answers over the conduct attributed to Delhi Police in connection with the protest events. Deshpande, an MNS office-bearer who attended the event, contended that those in power were deflecting public focus away from concerns such as the cost of living and joblessness.
Bengaluru, in the state of Karnataka, hosted a comparable procession around the same time. Members of CJP and those who support the organisation gathered at Town Hall before moving through the streets on foot, with officers maintaining a presence throughout. Officers deployed alongside the procession directed those taking part to refrain from chanting. Under the terms of the permit, gatherings along the route were to remain free of political slogans, protest placards, and any form of symbolic demonstration, while attendees bore responsibility for keeping the roadway clear of obstruction. Three organisations — Jagruta Karnataka, AISA Karnataka, and My Vote, My Right — joined forces to organise the march.
Objections to the detention were raised by a number of opposition figures, with several party leaders among those voicing their concerns. Mamata Banerjee, the West Bengal chief minister, described Dipke's detention as amounting to an undeclared state of emergency, and publicly questioned the actions of Delhi Police. Abhijeet Dipke was taken into custody while carrying the Indian National Flag.
Banerjee wrote on X that young people were being taken into custody for exercising their democratic rights without violence, drawing a comparison to an unannounced state of emergency. Officials have described measures being taken that, according to critics, place pressure on younger people to avoid speaking out publicly. Banerjee went on to characterise the actions taken against the organisation as those of a government unwilling to permit dissenting voices, and addressed three named CJP figures — Abhijeet, Ashutosh, and Saurav — describing them as embodying the values and aspirations held by young people across the country. Banerjee conveyed an assurance of unwavering support to those affected, and argued that neither intimidation nor detention nor any misuse of authority could suppress democratic values, calling on the public to take notice.
Arvind Kejriwal, who leads the Aam Aadmi Party, remarked at a public address that those objecting to the display of India's national flag ought to relocate to Pakistan, posing the rhetorical question of whether the flag would otherwise be raised there instead, while separately asserting that the pursuit of democratic rights and freedom of expression would press on. The post attributed to Kejriwal drew a line between those who honour the Indian tricolour and those who take issue with it, casting the latter group as having no place within the country's borders. He described the situation as an exercise of absolute authoritarian control. Displaying the national flag has not been treated as a punishable act under the law.
DMK party chief M K Stalin urged the central government to release Dipke and Bora without further delay and to stop interfering with peaceful protests, while also stating that keeping detainees at undisclosed locations ran counter to both the law and basic humanitarian principles. Those comments surfaced alongside a separate declaration from Abhijeet's party, which described his arrest as a sign that the administration views the opposition as a threat. Calls for the detained individuals to be freed grew alongside demands that authorities permit non-violent demonstrations to proceed without interference. Stalin contended that any attempt to suppress the movement would, in the end, only give it greater force.
The bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi chose not to issue immediate directions against the Janta Party's gathering at Central Park, with the judges expressing a hope that public inconvenience would be kept to a minimum, even as traders raised concerns that the assembly and accompanying security measures were cutting into business during the festive period. Justice Bagchi noted that the various interests at play — those wishing to demonstrate, those depending on street vending for their daily income, and those seeking orderly public spaces — are all bound up with one another, adding that small traders typically rely on such periods to sustain their livelihoods. The court acknowledged that whole families would bear real hardship and strain from the ruling.
Rajnath Singh, who holds the Union defence portfolio, claimed at a public address that opposition parties led by Congress were exploiting demonstrations against the Election Commission to destabilise the government, drawing a parallel to events in Bangladesh, and contended that the country's young people were being manipulated as instruments in a deliberate campaign to create disorder. Part of the opposition has pointed to Bangladesh as a template for political transition, with some figures openly acknowledging that country's recent upheaval as a source of inspiration, while a separate faction has gone further, publicly demanding that the current administration be removed from power. Singh described the opposition's mobilisation as having no genuine connection to electoral reform, the SIR process, or Gyanesh Kumar, nor to expanding prospects for young people, contending instead that the movement was a coordinated attempt to provoke instability and seize political control. Those characterisations represent Singh's stated position.
