Connaught Place is bracing for its third protest flashpoint in a week. The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has called a ‘Lehra Do Tiranga’ gathering at Central Park at 5 PM today, in solidarity with its two jailed co-convenors. Central Park is shut, police have fanned out across the business district, and commuters are being told to avoid the area this evening.
Updated: October 16, 2026, 10:45 AM IST
Quick Read
- The CJP, led by founder Abhijeet Dipke, has called supporters to Central Park, Connaught Place at 5 PM today for its two co-convenors, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, who are in Tihar Jail.
- The NDMC shut Central Park for October 16 and 17 citing "administrative reasons"; Delhi Police pointed to prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the BNSS and urged the public to stay away.
- The Delhi High Court on October 15 refused to restrain the march, recording the police’s assurance that the situation would be kept under control. Around 32,000 security personnel are on alert across Delhi, and intel inputs warn the march could stretch into an indefinite sit-in.
5 PM today: what the CJP has planned
The call went out through CJP’s founder Abhijeet Dipke. Supporters have been asked to reach Central Park in Connaught Place at 5 PM and raise the tricolour. The march is framed as a solidarity gathering for Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, the party’s co-convenors who were sent to Tihar Jail earlier this week.
This isn’t a spontaneous announcement. The timing is deliberate. The park was shut by a notice dated October 15, and the High Court heard the matter yesterday. CJP knows all of this and is marching anyway – which is exactly why Delhi Police are treating this evening as high-risk.
Why the park is sealed and who is on guard
The New Delhi Municipal Council shut Central Park for October 16 and 17, giving "administrative reasons" in its notice. Delhi Police have asked the public to stay away from the area. Their legal ground is Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS). In plain words, that section lets the police ban people from gathering in an area.
Zee News reported roughly 32,000 security personnel on alert across the capital. The police line, as it stands: most people should avoid the area, though a select group could be permitted at a "suitable place." That formulation leaves a lot to the discretion of officers on the ground.
The sharper warning comes from intelligence inputs reported by ABP Live – that the march may not end tonight. It could become an indefinite sit-in, the kind that turns a one-evening gathering into a weeks-long occupation of prime central Delhi real estate.
What the High Court said yesterday
The Delhi High Court had a chance to stop this and didn’t. On October 15, it refused to restrain the protest. It recorded the police’s assurance that they would keep things under control, and left it at that.
That leaves the legal position muddled. There’s no court order stopping the march, but there are police prohibitory orders telling people not to show up. Expect the CJP’s lawyers to point at the High Court’s refusal. Expect the police to point at their Section 163 orders. The two positions will collide at 5 PM.
Third CJP action in four days
Whatever happens this evening, the pattern is unmistakable. The CJP has kept Delhi on edge all week. On October 13, its supporters marched toward the Supreme Court and an FIR was registered. On October 14, Das and Ranka were jailed for five days over the Jantar Mantar incident – a case we covered in full detail earlier this week. And Jantar Mantar itself was de-notified as a protest site this week, with the city naming three new protest venues instead.
Also read: Saurav Das, Ranka jailed 5 days over Jantar Mantar
What remains unknown is the Supreme Court angle. A hearing on the INDIA bloc’s SIR plea was scheduled for October 15, but the outcome wasn’t verified this morning. The ABP Live sidebar also carried a claim of a Rahul Gandhi-led anti-CEC march today with metro stations shut – that’s a single-source claim and shouldn’t be treated as confirmed until more outlets report it.
Also read: Jantar Mantar de-notified: 3 new Delhi protest venues
The real question for tonight: does the march stay a march, or does it become the sit-in the intel inputs are warning about? If thousands show up at 5 PM with flags and no place to legally assemble – the park they want is sealed, the venue they used is de-notified – the standoff writes itself.
Also read: Rahul Gandhi’s petition: 14 defects flagged, explained simply
FAQ
Can the police stop the march if the High Court refused to restrain it?
Yes, through their own orders. The High Court’s refusal isn’t permission – it just means the court won’t pass a restraining order. Police can still enforce Section 163 BNSS prohibitory orders and detain people who break them.
What does Section 163 of the BNSS actually mean?
It’s the new version of the old Section 144 of the CrPC. In simple terms: it lets the police ban people from gathering in a particular area for a period of time, and they can enforce that ban with detentions.
Where will this go after tonight?
That depends on what the crowd does. If it stays a one-evening gathering, it disperses. If it becomes a sit-in, Delhi Police will have to decide between forced eviction and containment – and the Supreme Court’s pending SIR-related hearings add another layer of uncertainty to the next few days.
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