With India's Cockroach Janta Party calling for a "Lehra Do Tiranga" [Wave the Indian flag] rally on Friday in New Delhi's Connaught Place, the state's municipal council announced a closure of the Central Park on October 16 and 17 for "administrative reasons."
Delhi Police said a prohibitory order is already in force in Connaught Place and surrounding areas under Section 163 of India's criminal code, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS). It appealed to protestors not to violate the BNSS order but added that it "may consider making arrangements to permit a select group of individuals to gather at a suitable location for the purpose of carrying the national flag and singing the national anthem".
NDMC informed Delhi Police through a formal letter and asked it to make appropriate security arrangements for the "significant and sensitive public park" and to prevent unauthorised entry, Deputy Commissioner of Police Neha Yadav said.
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She added that the CJP had appealed to the public, via social media and a press conference, to gather at Central Park at 5pm carrying the national flag. Shops and establishments in and around Connaught Place had asked for protection against "disruptive elements and unlawful gatherings", according to Yadav.
Prescribed rules must be followed while carrying or accompanying the national flag and during the singing of the national anthem, with "the utmost respect, dignity, and decorum" toward both, police said.
Hoisting flag 'not a crime': Dipke
Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke asserted that hoisting the national flag is a matter of pride and "not a crime." The decision comes following the arrest of CJP leaders Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das, and the reported threat of action against Dipke. On Thursday, the third day of their detention, Dipke wrote: "Imagine being jailed in your own country for waving your own national flag", calling the arrests illegal.
Indian opposition leaders have also questioned whether unfurling or holding the national flag in one's own country had become a crime. This comes amid the broader standoff between the opposition and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the alleged irregularities in Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The Indian Supreme Court has issued notice to the Election Commission of India (ECI) and others on a petition filed by opposition leaders led by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, challenging the poll panel's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and alleged voter deletions.
Security forces deployed
Security forces have been deployed in and around Connaught Place. Traffic movement on certain roads in and around CP is likely to be affected from 3pm on Friday, Delhi Traffic Police said, advising commuters to plan their journeys, allow extra travel time and use public transport.
Traffic police further cautioned that diversions could be implemented depending on the prevailing situation and urged commuters to follow its official social media handles for real-time updates.