Guwahati: Delhi Police detained Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke on Friday ahead of the party’s planned ‘Lehra Do Tiranga’ march at Central Park in Connaught Place.
Earlier, more than 20 police personnel served Dipke a notice barring him from organising the rally, citing traffic congestion, stampede risks and public safety concerns.
The CJP planned the 5 pm march to demand the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Police denied permission for a mass gathering under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) but offered an alternative venue for a smaller gathering.
A day before his detention, Dipke alleged that security and intelligence personnel were monitoring him, including through vehicles without number plates.
He accused authorities of pressuring him to cancel the march. A senior Delhi Police officer denied special security arrangements outside any particular resident’s home.
The Delhi High Court, on Thursday, declined to stop the march while hearing a petition by a Palika Bazaar street vendor who argued that the gathering could disrupt traders and commuters.
The court did not specifically approve the march and scheduled the next hearing for November 3.
The rally follows the detention of CJP leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, who were remanded to five days of judicial custody over alleged breaches of peace bond conditions and entry into Jantar Mantar, which is no longer an authorised protest venue.
The Election Commission has denied allegations of partisan conduct and defended the electoral-roll revision as necessary to maintain accurate voter lists.