Delhi Police serve notice on Dipke hours ahead of Connaught Place protest

• Delhi Police serve notice on CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke barring planned ‘Lehra Do Tiranga’ march at Connaught Place.

• More than 6,000 police personnel and 220 CAPF companies are deployed, while Central Park remains closed for two days.

• Police cite traffic disruption, stampede risks and alleged violations during previous CJP protests to justify the restrictions.

More than 20 Delhi Police personnel visited the residence of Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke on Friday, 16 October and served him a notice prohibiting him from holding a protest at Connaught Place, hours before the scheduled march, citing risks to public safety, traffic disruption and a possible stampede.

The notice comes amid a massive security deployment in the national capital, with more than 6,000 police personnel and 220 companies of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), each comprising 100 personnel, deployed in the New Delhi area to prevent any law and order situation.

The CJP’s ‘Lehra Do Tiranga’ march was scheduled to be held at Central Park in Connaught Place at 5.00 pm on Friday. Police have denied permission, citing prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), which bar mass gatherings in Connaught Place and adjoining areas. They have offered to facilitate a select group of protesters waving the national flag at an alternative location.

The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has also announced that Central Park will remain closed to the public on Friday and Saturday for administrative reasons.

According to a copy of the notice accessed by PTI, the station house officer (SHO) of Connaught Place issued it under the subject, ‘Regarding proposed unlawful assembly/demonstration at Connaught Place on October 16’.

The notice said it had been issued in furtherance of directions from the Delhi High Court and referred to Dipke’s public statements and social media appeals asking people to assemble at Connaught Place at 5 pm on 16 October without obtaining permission.

Describing Connaught Place as a busy commercial hub comprising concentric circles linked by radial roads, with limited entry and exit points, the notice warned that a gathering in one circle could quickly obstruct the others, making crowd dispersal and emergency evacuation difficult.

The area houses a dense concentration of showrooms, restaurants, hotels, banks, offices and street vendors. Any disruption, particularly during evening and weekend hours and the peak festival season, would directly affect traders and their employees, it said.

"Over 15 lakh traders and their employees depend on its peaceful and orderly functioning for the exercise of their fundamental right," the notice read.

The notice also highlighted the presence of Rajiv Chowk Metro station, a major interchange between the Blue and Yellow lines of the Delhi Metro and one of the network’s busiest stations, handling an average of two lakh commuters daily.

Any crowd build-up in the area could lead to severe congestion and create a stampede risk, it said.

Several arterial roads pass through Connaught Place and are crucial to movement across the city. Their obstruction could paralyse traffic across central Delhi and cost commuters valuable time, the notice added.

It also cited the judgment in *Amit Saini v. Commissioner of Police*, which requires authorities to consider the inconvenience caused to commuters by public gatherings.

Connaught Place’s proximity to Parliament, the Central Secretariat and diplomatic precincts raised further concerns about crowds spilling into protected zones, potentially jeopardising public order and safety, the notice said.

The notice also flagged the area’s older buildings and narrow service lanes, which restrict the movement of fire tenders and ambulances. With ambulances serving several nearby hospitals dependent on clear routes, an unregulated gathering could compromise emergency response services, it added.

"In view of these considerations, and the serious risk an unlawful gathering in Connaught Place poses to public order and to the rights of other citizens, a prohibitory order under Section 163, BNSS is currently in force," the notice said.

It warned that any violation could invite action under Section 223 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which deals with disobedience of an order duly promulgated by a public servant, along with other applicable provisions of law.

The notice also referred to the CJP’s previous demonstrations, alleging that they had "resulted in breaches of peace and grave disruptions to public order". It claimed that earlier protests had "flagrantly violated the conditions under which permission had been granted".

"Their unauthorised calls for a march to the Parliament, which is a symbol of Indian sovereignty, resulted in serious violence and damage to public and private property," the notice read.

Invoking Sections 29, 30, 31, 32 and 33 of the Delhi Police Act, 1978, among other provisions, the notice prohibited Dipke from holding any demonstration, procession or rally in the vicinity of Connaught Place.

"You are further directed to refrain from taking any action which causes prejudice to the rights of other citizens, traders, commuters, patients and other members of civil society conducting lawful business including those of livelihood, free movement and safety," the notice said.

It also prohibited the carrying of instruments that could be used as weapons and the use of loudspeakers, among other activities.

The notice cited the Supreme Court judgment in *Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sanghatan v. Union of India* (AIR 2018 SC 3476), which highlighted the requirement for prior written permission for public demonstrations.

It referred to the need to consider "obstruction to traffic or danger to human safety or disturbance to public tranquillity" when assessing requests for public demonstrations.

No permission had been sought for the proposed march, the notice said, adding that an unauthorised gathering could seriously jeopardise public safety and order.

It further stated that Connaught Place was not a designated protest site and that demonstrations could be held at other designated venues, subject to the requisite permission being sought and granted. Dipke was directed to abide by the law.