Delhi Police warn CJP founder against Tiranga gathering at Connaught Place

New Delhi: A Delhi Police team visited the residence of Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke in Jhandewalan on Friday and served him a notice, making it clear that permission had not been granted for the ‘Tiranga Assembly’ planned at Central Park in Connaught Place.

The party chief had called on supporters to gather at the park at 5 p.m. on Friday while carrying the national flag. However, police said the gathering could not be allowed as prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita were in force in and around Connaught Place.

According to officials, the notice stated that the New Delhi Municipal Council had not granted permission for the proposed Tiranga gathering at Central Park.

The police told Dipke that proceeding with the assembly despite the restrictions would amount to a violation of the law. They warned that legal action would be taken against those found violating the prohibitory orders.

Central Park has also been closed for two days, on October 16 and 17, for administrative reasons.

Earlier in the day, Dipke defended the party’s protests, saying peaceful demonstrations were a democratic right and accusing the government of restricting citizens’ freedoms through shutdowns, Internet suspensions and movement restrictions.

In a post on X, he said demanding accountability from the government, protesting against injustice and questioning public representatives could not be described as anarchy.

“Businesses do not suffer because of peaceful protests. They suffer when the govt decides to shut down an entire city, suspend Internet services, restrict the movement of its own citizens and turn the city into a war zone,” he said.

Dipke maintained that the CJP remained committed to Mahatma Gandhi’s principles of peace and non-violence, despite what he described as attempts to provoke its members.

He said the party had organised protests in Mumbai, Pune, Jaipur, Lucknow, Bengaluru and Nagpur, and claimed that all of them had remained peaceful.

Dipke said he was assaulted during a protest in Jaipur but chose not to retaliate, as responding to violence with violence was against the party’s beliefs.

“Our strength comes from our commitment to constitutional values, and no amount of provocation will make us abandon them,” he said.

(Inputs from IANS)