New Delhi, Oct 16: Delhi Police detained Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder and convener Abhijeet Dipke on Friday while he was travelling to Central Park in Connaught Place to attend a ‘Tiranga Assembly’ he had called for 5 p.m. The detention came amid restrictions on gatherings at the venue, with police citing the absence of permission from the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) and warning of legal action for violations.
Before the planned assembly, police served Dipke two notices directing him to stay away from the venue. One notice, issued by New Delhi district authorities under the Delhi Police Act, referred to Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), which officials said was in force, and instructed people not to visit Central Park.
The second notice came from South West Delhi authorities and referred to an earlier preventive action against Dipke and CJP co-conveners Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das. Officials said the three had been detained at an airport and subsequently produced before a court, which required them to refrain from causing public disturbance for one year. Authorities described the undertaking as a condition that remained relevant to the proposed gathering.
Police said they would initiate legal action if anyone violated the prohibitory orders. The notices preceded Dipke’s detention as he headed towards the assembly venue.
Earlier in the day, Dipke defended the proposed protest, arguing that peaceful demonstrations, demands for government accountability and questioning elected representatives formed part of democratic rights. He accused the government of restricting citizens’ freedoms through shutdowns, internet suspensions and limits on movement, saying such measures disrupted business activity.
In a post on X, Dipke argued that peaceful protests were not responsible for business losses and blamed shutdowns, internet restrictions and movement curbs imposed by the government for disrupting normal activity. He also maintained that CJP remained committed to Mahatma Gandhi’s principles of peace and non-violence, despite what he described as attempts to provoke party members.
Dipke said the pressure group had held peaceful demonstrations in Mumbai, Pune, Jaipur, Lucknow, Bengaluru and Nagpur. His remarks came as authorities cited the restrictions at Central Park and the earlier court-linked undertaking in opposing the planned assembly.
The immediate dispute centres on the proposed gathering, the restrictions imposed at the venue and the party leader’s stated position that peaceful protest is a democratic right.
