Lehra Do Tiranga Rally: Delhi Police Detain 150 Protesters, Including Abhijeet Dipke
Delhi Police detained around 150 protesters, including Abhijeet Dipke, during the Lehra Do Tiranga rally. Opposition leaders slam the move as dictatorship.
Tensions flared in the heart of the national capital on Friday as the Lehra Do Tiranga rally turned into a standoff between demonstrators and security forces. Delhi Police detained approximately 150 people, including CJP activist Abhijeet Dipke, during a series of protests centered around Connaught Place and Mandi House.
Mass Detentions in Central Delhi
The unrest began when supporters and workers from various groups gathered at Central Park in Connaught Place to hoist the national flag. The event, organized under the 'Lehra Do Tiranga' banner by Abhijeet Dipke, was intended to be a peaceful assertion of democratic rights. However, the atmosphere remained tense due to heightened security measures.
Abhijeet Dipke was intercepted and detained by police as he was leaving the residence of NCP-SCP spokesperson Anish Gawande. According to police officials, Dipke was placed under preventive detention because Section 163 was in force in the Connaught Place area, which prohibits public assemblies.
Legal Grounds for Detention
Authorities have served Dipke with two separate legal notices:
- Section 163 of the BNSS: Issued by the New Delhi district under the Delhi Police Act, this notice legally bars him from visiting Central Park due to existing restrictions on public gatherings.
- Bond Violation: A notice from the South-West Delhi district alleging that Dipke, along with associates Ashutosh and Saurav, violated a one-year undertaking to maintain public peace—a bond signed after a previous detention at the airport.
Wider Protests and Institutional Outcry
The agitation was not limited to the CJP. Workers from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) also staged a Tiranga Rally to protest alleged institutional irregularities within the Election Commission. Simultaneously, members of AISA and Left parties were detained near Mandi House while demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
AAP Delhi chief Saurabh Bharadwaj criticized the heavy security deployment, drawing a parallel to the Indian freedom struggle. He questioned why citizens were being restricted from unfurling the Tricolour in their own country, comparing the current administrative curbs to the restrictions imposed by the British era.
Opposition Slams 'Dictatorship'
The detention of activists has sparked a wave of condemnation from prominent Opposition leaders who have labeled the government's actions as repressive.
"Abhijeet Dipke has been detained for holding the Indian National Flag. Let that sink in," posted former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on X. She described the situation as an "undeclared emergency" and accused the government of acting like a "fascist regime" that fears dissent.
Former Delhi Chief Minister and AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal echoed these sentiments, calling the move "outright dictatorship" and questioning if hoisting the national flag had become a crime.
Adding to the critique, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav took to X to describe the day's events as a clash of "‘Ekaranga’ versus ‘Tiranga’," suggesting a divide between the government's ideology and the national symbol.