Kejriwal Calls Dipke's Detention "Dictatorship"; 150 Protesters Held Over Tiranga March

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AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Friday condemned the detention of Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) activist Abhijeet Dipke, calling it a dictatorship and telling those who object to the national flag to leave for Pakistan. He was reacting on social media to police action after a Tiranga march near Central Park in Connaught Place.

"If we won't hoist the tricolour in our own country, then will we hoist it in Pakistan? Those who have a problem with the Indian tricolour should go to Pakistan," Kejriwal wrote. Questioning the legal basis for curbing displays of the flag, he argued that going after activist leaders exposed the ruling camp's insecurity. "This is nothing but outright dictatorship. Is it a crime to hoist the tricolour? Abhijeet's arrest shows just how much Modi ji fears them," he added.

Delhi Police detained about 150 people during protests and the planned "Lehra Do Tiranga" march in central Delhi, officials said. AAP leaders and workers joined the Tiranga rally outside Central Park, while members of AISA and Left parties demonstrated near Mandi House, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Several of those protesters were also detained. Citing the absence of permission, restrictions on areas such as Central Park, and prohibitory orders against large gatherings, authorities deployed over 6,000 personnel from Delhi Police and the Central Armed Police Forces.

Police moved against key activists before the demonstrations began. Dipke was picked up from the residence of NCP-SCP spokesperson Anish Gawande. An officer told him, "We are placing you under preventive detention. Section 163 is in force in Connaught Place. You are being detained."

Two notices were served on Dipke. The first, issued by the New Delhi district under Section 163 of the BNSS, bars him from visiting Central Park because of curbs on public assembly there. The second, from the South-West Delhi district, alleges that he breached a one-year undertaking to keep the peace. That undertaking stemmed from an earlier preventive action involving Dipke, Ashutosh and Saurav, who were detained at the airport and produced before a court.

Earlier, Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar met senior officers to review security and the overall situation ahead of the proposed rally. Additional CP (Traffic) DK Gupta said a detailed traffic advisory had been issued and that the Connaught Place area was likely to see disruption. "We have deployed our personnel across these zones to regulate traffic. Should any disruptions occur, we will implement timely diversions to ensure the public faces minimal inconvenience and traffic continues to flow smoothly," he said. Gupta added that police were monitoring social media for inputs on possible disruptions, and urged commuters to follow the advisory and plan their travel accordingly.

Also Read: Abhijeet Dipke, Neha Bora Detained by Police in Delhi