NDMC’s Bid To Derail Lehra Do Tiranga March at Connaught Place’s Central Park
The civic body announced that Central Park would remain closed to the public on Friday and Saturday, hours after the Delhi High Court declined to restrain the CJP from holding the protest
New Delhi: The CJP protesters and the Delhi administration seemed to be bracing for another showdown after the NDMC late on Thursday evening sought to derail Friday’s proposed “Lehra Do Tiranga” march at Connaught Place's Central Park. In a sudden move, the civic body announced that Central Park would remain closed to the public on Friday and Saturday, hours after the Delhi High Court declined to restrain the CJP from holding the protest.
The closure cast uncertainty over the gathering planned for 5 pm on Friday by CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke.
Delhi police also warned of legal action against unauthorised gatherings in Connaught Place, while leaving open the possibility of allowing a select group of people to assemble at a designated spot to carry the national tricolour and sing the national anthem.
DCP PRO Neha Yadav said prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) were already in force in Connaught Place and adjoining areas to maintain law and order and protect public and private property. Adding to the uncertainty for the protesters, the PRO also stressed that prescribed protocols governing the national flag and the national anthem would have to be followed. "When carrying or accompanying the national flag, and during the singing of the national anthem, prescribed rules must be followed, and the utmost respect, dignity, and decorum must be maintained toward both the tricolour and the national anthem," the PRO said.
Besides the CJP, other outfits expected to join the “Lehra Do Tiranga” march include All India Students’ Association (AISA), the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) and the All India Students’ Federation (AISF). Sources disclosed that the government is closely watching the movements of the outfits organising the protests. The concerned authorities indicated that strong measures would be taken if the protests disturb peace and law and order.
The CJP got a shot in its arm after the Delhi High Court refused to restrain it from holding the protest at Connaught Place. The court order came after it took on record the police’s assurance that all possible steps would be taken to regulate and control their activity.
Addressing the media,CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke called on supporters to gather at Central Park with the national flag at 5 pm on Friday. Soon after the NDMC announced the closure, Mr Dipke, in a post on X, said, "If we announce 100 places, will Narendra Modi shut down all 100 places?"
“Why is the Prime Minister shutting down Delhi to protect one man? Delhi has been turned into an India-Pakistan border. What does Gyanesh Kumar give Modi in return for this protection?” he asked.
"If the government wants to detain this many citizens, Opposition leaders and students, let it declare an emergency outright,” Mr Dipke added.
The proposed march follows a series of demonstrations and detentions in the capital over allegations of electoral malpractice and demands for Mr Kumar’s resignation.
Speaking alongside senior lawyer Prashant Bhushan, actor Prakash Raj, AISA president Neha Bora, SFI leader Aishe Ghosh and AISF national president Viraaj Devang, he criticised the detention of demonstrators demanding Kumar’s resignation amid allegations of electoral malpractice and the controversy surrounding electoral-roll revision.
Mr Dipke accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah of waging a “war” against their own countrymen to protect the CEC. He also questioned the police action against protesters carrying the national flag. “Those who never embraced the tricolour are attacking it. Our comrades were walking in Connaught Place with the tricolour and have all been detained. When did holding the tiranga become a crime?” he asked.
While Mr Bhushan called for a "regime change", actor Prakash Raj alleged that Form 7 was being used to systematically erase targeted communities, particularly Muslim voters.
"We are currently fighting to ensure that elections are conducted properly. But if this kind of brutality continues, there will certainly be regime change. Yes, we all want regime change… What is wrong with that? Regime change is the democratic right of every citizen," Mr Bhushan asserted.
Ms Bora alleged that the police targeted journalists covering the protests, detaining them despite their press credentials and snatching their cameras. She also referred to an alleged sexual harassment incident involving a journalist, for which an FIR was registered, and accused the police of using force against people raising concerns over electoral rights.
SFI leader Ghosh urged citizens to unite to defend democracy, saying she placed her faith in the people rather than the ruling BJP. “Gyanesh has helped BJP win the whole country,” she alleged.
Referring to the treatment of the parents of Ankita Bhandari, a resort receptionist murdered in Uttarakhand in 2022, Ms Ghosh alleged that they had been dragged and treated brutally. Criticising what she described as the impunity enjoyed by people accused of serious crimes, she said, “Rapists are being garlanded.”
Meanwhile, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi met with NSUI, IYC and Seva Dal functionaries to decide the party's future course of action.
Even as the BJP continued to put up a brave front, sources revealed that the mounting tide of anti-government protests was causing growing unease within the ruling establishment, with saffron sources admitting that the relentless protests were fast emerging as a major cause of concern.
