Delhi is likely to witness fresh traffic diversions on Friday after the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) called for a ‘Tiranga Lehrao’ protest at Central Park in Connaught Place.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke has urged “patriots” to gather at the venue with the national flag, alleging that party members Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were “jailed only for unfurling the tricolour” at Jantar Mantar.
With the protest expected to draw a large crowd, the Delhi Police will hold a high-level meeting on Thursday to chalk out security and traffic management plans.
The national capital witnessed major traffic diversions and the closure of metro stations during the CJP’s previous protests.
The ‘Tiranga Lehrao’ call came on the day Das and Ranka were remanded to five days of judicial custody and lodged in Tihar Jail for allegedly violating their peace bonds and trespassing into Jantar Mantar, which has been denotified as a protest site.
The CJP members were detained by police on Tuesday after they unfurled the tricolour and raised slogans against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The outfit claimed they had “reclaimed” Jantar Mantar and their right to protest.
“As you know, Saurav and Ashu have been jailed only for unfurling the tricolour. I urge all patriots who love the tricolour to come to Central Park, Connaught Place, at 5 pm on October 16 with the national flag. We will show that waving a tiranga is not a crime,” Dipke said in a post.
The Aam Aadmi Party has extended support to Friday’s protest and is expected to mobilise a large number of supporters in Connaught Place, one of Delhi’s key commercial hubs. It remains unclear whether other Opposition parties will join the agitation.
Meanwhile, the Delhi High Court is scheduled to hear on Thursday a petition seeking directions to prevent the CJP’s proposed protest at Connaught Place.
Senior advocate Sacchin Puri mentioned the matter for an urgent hearing before a Bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Nitin Wasudeo Sambre and Justice Sanjay Sharma.
“In the heart of Connaught Place Central Park, a protest is called. It seems we are being targeted. This is not a site (for protest). They have already started shutting down. This is the Dussehra weekend. This protest has to be stopped,” Puri told the court.
