Delhi Police placed Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke under preventive arrest and released All India Students' Association (AISA) chief Neha Bora early Saturday after detaining them ahead of Friday's 'Lehra Do Tiranga' protest march at Connaught Place in the Indian capital.

Dipke was arrested under Sections 126 and 170 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) over concerns about a possible breach of peace. He is scheduled to be produced before a Special Executive Magistrate (SEM) court later Saturday.

Bora was released after the authorities completed the necessary detention formalities under Section 65 of the Delhi Police Act.

CJP legal head Ratna Singh alleged that Dipke's whereabouts remained unknown and that lawyers had not been allowed to meet him.

“Abhijeet is arrested & will be produced before SEM court. His location still unknown, lawyers haven't met,” Singh wrote on X. In a subsequent post, she said Dipke would appear before the court at noon.

The CJP, opposition parties, student groups and civil society organisations have held protests in several parts of India demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in electoral rolls and the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.

Bora alleges detentions intended to create fear
After her release, Bora alleged that protesters were being detained without valid reasons and held for hours, claiming the practice was intended to intimidate ordinary citizens.

She said such detentions had become increasingly common during the ongoing movement, with protesters frequently taken into custody and released the following morning or evening.

Bora demanded the immediate release of Dipke and other detained demonstrators, saying they were ordinary citizens seeking accountability and the right to vote. She argued that there was no justification for holding protesters overnight at police stations.

On Friday, both the CJP and AISA expressed concern over the whereabouts of their leaders, alleging that Delhi Police had denied them access to lawyers and associates after detaining them during the protests.

The two leaders were taken into custody while travelling to join the 'Lehra Do Tiranga' demonstration.

The CJP alleged that Dipke had been moved to an undisclosed location and that the party had lost contact with him. In a post on X, the party said he was not being allowed to speak with lawyers.

AISA, meanwhile, alleged that Bora had been held alone at the Anti-Narcotics Task Force facility in Mangolpuri.

Source: NDTV