Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke was detained by Delhi Police on Friday, minutes before he was scheduled to lead a “Lehra Do Tiranga” rally in the Indian capital.

It was the second time Dipke had been detained within a week. He was earlier detained shortly after arriving in Delhi from Mumbai to protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over allegations of voter-list manipulation during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

The proposed march was also prompted by the arrest of CJP members Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, who were sent to five days of judicial custody after entering Jantar Mantar while waving the national flag on October 13, a day after the historic site was denotified as a protest venue.

Before detaining Dipke on Friday, police visited his home and served him a notice warning against holding the march.

The notice, issued under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), said prohibitory orders were in force around Connaught Place, a major shopping hub in central Delhi.

It also stated that the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) had not granted permission for the proposed Tiranga Yatra and warned that proceeding with the march would constitute a violation of the law.

Dipke, 31, was wearing a white T-shirt bearing a picture of Mahatma Gandhi and jeans when police informed him that waving the national flag was not illegal. However, they warned that holding an unauthorised march and gathering a crowd would violate the restrictions and invite legal action.

Police also reminded him of the requirements under the Flag Code of India to treat the national flag with due respect.

Source: NDTV