The youth-led Cockroach Janata Party is expected to hold a march with the Indian tri-colour in Connaught Place's Central Park on Friday, with authorities in the national capital set to restrict a planned demonstration.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke has called on supporters to gather in Central Delhi for the rally at 5 PM, while 220 companies of Central Armed Police Forces and an expanded CCTV camera network have been put into service in the area. The central part of the capital remained heavily guarded in the early hours of Friday.
The call for the rally comes after two leaders of the Gen-Z led outfit, Sourav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were sent to judicial custody for five days after removing barricades and entering Jantar Mantar, which was recently de-notified as a protest side. Amnesty International India has called for the immediate release of both Ranka and Das, saying both the arrests and removal of Jantar Mantar as a protest site threatens right to dissent.
The confrontation sets up another test of how authorities handle the protests, following last weekend’s detention of thousands and an effective lockdown of parts of the capital. Officials said Central Park, the planned venue for Friday’s demonstration, would remain closed for two days.