NEW DELHI: A chaos erupted at Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke and AISA chief Neha Bora’s joint press conference on Thursday, a day ahead of CJP’s ‘Lehra do Tiranga’ protest march.People in the presser were heard saying: “Band karo…dafa ho jaao” (Stop it; get lost) before Bora urged the management to escort the disruptors out.Addressing the media, Dipke alleged that students and young people had been protesting in Delhi for the past 10-15 days and were being dragged away by authorities. He claimed that opposition leaders who joined the demonstrations, including former chief ministers Mamata Banerjee, Arvind Kejriwal and Pinarayi Vijayan, were also detained.“And all this for whom? For one man, Gyanesh Kumar,” Dipke said, referring to the Chief Election Commissioner.He further alleged that railway services were shut down following the October 10 call, and claimed that Metro services and several stations across Delhi were also closed. Dipke also questioned the deployment of forces from Jammu and Kashmir in the national capital.
Activists allege harassment of journalists
AISA activist Neha Bora expressed solidarity with journalists who were allegedly detained while covering the protests. She claimed that reporters from The Caravan and The Quint were beaten and detained for hours despite carrying press cards.Bora also alleged that journalists had their cameras snatched and were warned against covering the demonstrations. Referring to a woman journalist who allegedly faced sexual harassment by Vivek Bhagat, she claimed that a counter-FIR was registered against the journalist when she approached the police to file a complaint.She accused the authorities of targeting citizens seeking justice instead of ensuring law and order.
CJP plans flag protest amid heavy security
The press conference came ahead of CJP’s proposed ‘Lehra do Tiranga’ demonstration at Central Park in Connaught Place on Friday at 5 pm. Dipke has urged citizens to participate, asserting that waving the national flag is a democratic right. The party has also called for simultaneous Tiranga marches in other cities.
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Police sources said security would be strengthened around Connaught Place and Jantar Mantar, with paramilitary personnel stationed at several locations. Barricades and traffic restrictions may be put in place to regulate crowds and prevent any untoward incident.A senior police officer said Connaught Place is not a designated protest site following the de-notification of Jantar Mantar. Demonstrations can instead be held at Ramlila Maidan, Burari Ground or CBD Ground after obtaining permission.The proposed protest follows the arrest of CJP leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka after they reached Jantar Mantar. They were remanded to five days of judicial custody by a special executive magistrate.
