Delhi Police Detain Cockroach Janata Party Protesters

The Delhi Police detained approximately 150 people, including Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke and AISA leader Neha Bora, during the 'Lehra Do Tiranga' protest in New Delhi on October 17, 2026. Security forces, including 6,000 personnel from the Delhi Police and Central Armed Police Forces, deployed human chains and vehicle blockades to contain an estimated 2,000 protesters. The New Delhi Municipal Council Smart City Limited ordered the closure of Central Park to prevent large gatherings.

Authorities detained Dipke on October 16 under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), citing preventive action to maintain peace and the enforcement of Section 163, which prohibits gatherings of five or more people. Dipke had previously signed a ₹50,000 peace bond following a detention on October 10. Earlier in the week, CJP activists Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were placed in five days of judicial custody for allegedly trespassing at Jantar Mantar on October 12.

The CJP and other critics condemned the crackdown. CJP national organization in-charge Ajinkya Shinde asserted that activists were jailed simply for waving the national flag. Actor Prakash Raj criticized the central government, questioning the contradiction between the 'Har Ghar Tiranga' initiative and the arrest of youth holding the national flag. Police have since registered multiple FIRs for violations of prohibitory orders in Connaught Place and other areas of the city.