Delhi Police Detain Abhijeet Dipke and Neha Bora Ahead of Protest March

Delhi Police carried out a series of pre-emptive detentions on Wednesday, October 16, 2026, picking up prominent activists and student leaders. Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), and Neha Bora, National President of the All India Students’ Association (AISA), were among those taken into custody.

The detentions are part of an escalating confrontation between law enforcement and the CJP over the right to assemble at sites such as Jantar Mantar and Connaught Place. The CJP has called for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, alleging irregularities in the management of electoral rolls and the electoral process.

Central Park in Connaught Place was closed for two days citing administrative reasons.

Abhijeet Dipke was detained while leaving the residence of Anish Gawande, a spokesperson for the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar). Police served Dipke a formal notice citing prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS). This legal provision, which recently replaced Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), allows authorities to prohibit assemblies of four or more people to maintain public order.

Reports indicate that Dipke was transported to a police station for a preventive detention period. Meanwhile, Neha Bora was intercepted and detained near Mandi House while heading to the protest. By Wednesday evening, police maintained a presence across central Delhi to prevent any large-scale gathering.

Restricted Access and Previous Arrests

In anticipation of the protest, the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) announced the closure of Central Park in Connaught Place for October 16 and 17, citing unspecified administrative reasons. The closure effectively removed the primary staging ground for the movement, which encourages participants to unfurl the national flag as a form of protest.

The current crackdown follows the earlier arrests of CJP members Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka. Both men were sent to five-day judicial custody after unfurling the national flag at Jantar Mantar on October 13. The CJP’s grievances are centered on alleged electoral irregularities, with activists claiming the process has been compromised.

The use of Section 163 BNSS marks a shift in how Delhi Police are citing legal authority following the recent overhaul of India’s criminal codes. While the police department has deployed personnel, the restriction on waving the national flag in public spaces has emerged as a central point of contention for the organizers.

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