New Delhi: Delhi Police have registered multiple FIRs over alleged violations of prohibitory orders in Connaught Place and other parts of New Delhi during protests on Friday, officials said on Saturday. Police have also warned of action against repeat offenders.
Despite repeated announcements asking people not to assemble, crowds gathered around Connaught Place, police officials said. The action follows the imposition of prohibitory restrictions under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).
The police action came after protesters gathered outside Central Park in Connaught Place on Friday for the ‘Lehra Do Tiranga’ rally amid heightened security. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) workers and supporters also staged a Tiranga rally to protest against the Election Commission over alleged irregularities in the electoral process.
Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke had called on people to assemble at Central Park on October 16 to hoist the national flag as part of the rally.
Delhi Police detained around 150 demonstrators during the protests in central Delhi, officials said. Dipke was among those detained while leaving the residence of NCP-SCP spokesperson Anish Gawande ahead of the proposed rally.
A police official informed Dipke that he was being placed under preventive detention, citing the prohibitory orders in force in Connaught Place.
Authorities also served two notices on Dipke. The first, issued under Section 163 of the BNSS by the New Delhi district, barred him from visiting Central Park amid restrictions on public gatherings. The second was a bond-violation notice issued by the South-West Delhi district in connection with earlier preventive action involving Dipke, Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das.
In a separate development, Delhi Police detained workers of the All India Students’ Association (AISA) and Left parties who were protesting near Mandi House, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
AISA national president Neha Bora, who was detained on Friday evening, was released after the completion of formalities under Section 65 of the Delhi Police Act.
According to Delhi Police, Bora and Dipke were detained on Friday evening under preventive provisions in connection with the October 16 protests. Police subsequently took action against Dipke in a fresh preventive case under Sections 126 and 170 of the BNSS.
Dipke was arrested and was scheduled to be produced before the Special Executive Magistrate (SEM) court, which would decide the next course of action, police said.
The latest case against Dipke is separate from an earlier preventive case in which he was detained on October 10 while travelling on a flight. In that case, he was required to execute a bond undertaking to maintain peace for one year.
Meanwhile, CJP member Ratna Singh alleged in a post on X that Dipke’s whereabouts remained unknown after his arrest and that his lawyers had been unable to meet him.
“Abhijeet is arrested and will be produced before SEM court. His location still unknown, lawyers haven’t met,” Singh wrote.
YouTuber Dhruv Rathee said he had arrived in London and called for an international protest over alleged electoral irregularities in India.
“I’ve just reached London. It’s time the world sees the reality of vote chor and murderer of democracy. International danka bajane ka time aa gaya hai,” Rathee wrote in a post on X.
He also urged people in London to join a protest scheduled for Sunday at noon outside the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Parliament Square.
The developments come amid continuing protests by Opposition leaders, INDIA bloc parties and student organisations against the Election Commission’s SIR exercise and its handling of the electoral process.