NEW DELHI: Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke on Friday urged Delhi Police to focus on catching criminals and addressing rising cases of rape against women after a police team reached his residence in the Jhandewalan area to serve him a notice over the proposed Tiranga Assembly at Connaught Place.The notice warned Dipke against proceeding with the proposed gathering at Central Park, citing prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) in force in the Connaught Place area. Police said the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) had not granted permission for the event and warned that proceeding with it could invite legal action.Meanwhile Delhi police told Dipke to “Refrain from action prejudicial to rights of citizen, traders, commuters, others.”According to the notice, waving the national flag was not prohibited, but holding an unauthorised march and assembling a crowd in the restricted area would violate the orders. Police also cautioned Dipke to follow the Flag Code while displaying the national flag.The CJP activist was served the notice in the presence of a Delhi Police official, ANI reported. The police action came amid heightened security arrangements around Connaught Place ahead of the proposed ‘Lehra Do Tiranga’ protest.
Dipke defends peaceful protests, accuses government of curbs
Earlier, Dipke rejected allegations that the CJP’s demonstrations promoted disorder, arguing that demanding accountability from those in power was a democratic right.In a post on X, he accused the authorities of disrupting businesses and restricting citizens’ movement through administrative measures, including shutting down areas and suspending internet services.“Businesses do not suffer because of peaceful protests. They suffer when the govt decides to shut down an entire city, suspend internet services and restrict the movement of its own citizens and turn the city into a war-zone. Since its inception, the Cockroach Janta Party has maintained that we will always follow Gandhi’s path of peace and non-violence, and we have stood by that commitment. We have organised protests in Mumbai, Pune, Jaipur, Lucknow, Bengaluru and Nagpur, and every single one of them has been peaceful. I was personally assaulted in Jaipur, but even then, I chose not to retaliate because responding to violence with violence goes against everything we believe in. We would rather exercise the rights guaranteed to us by the Constitution, drafted under the leadership of Dr B R Ambedkar, than resort to physical force,” he noted.Dipke also criticised what he described as the government’s contradictory approach to demonstrations, arguing that protests were treated as a democratic right when parties were in opposition but as a threat to public order when they came to power.“Despite this, there are constant attempts to portray us as anarchists simply because we refuse to remain silent. But demanding answers from the govt is not anarchy, protesting against injustice on the streets is not anarchy, and questioning those who hold public office is certainly not anarchy,” Dipke said.He maintained that an electoral mandate did not exempt the government from public scrutiny.“We are not asking for privileges or special treatment. We are simply asking to exercise the rights that belong to every citizen of this Republic, irrespective of which party is in power… A govt that has been elected by the people is bound to listen to the people, not silence them. Democracy does not end once the votes have been counted,” Dipke affirmed.
Central Park closed, traffic restrictions announced
The NDMC announced that Central Park in Connaught Place would remain closed to the public on October 16 and 17 for “administrative reasons”.
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Delhi Police said prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the BNSS were already in force in Connaught Place and surrounding areas. The police also assured the Delhi High Court that all possible legal measures would be taken to address concerns surrounding the proposed CJP protest.Traffic movement on some roads in and around Connaught Place was expected to be affected from 3 pm on Friday, according to the Delhi Traffic Police.Dipke’s proposed gathering has prompted heightened security and administrative restrictions in the area, with the police maintaining that any march or assembly in violation of the prohibitory orders could lead to legal action.
