Anti-CEC protest: ‘Why is PM Modi shutting down Delhi to protect one man?’ asks CJP’s Dipke with Central Park shut ahead of ‘Tiranga’ march

Ahead of the Lehra Do Tiranga (Wave the Tricolour) demonstration called by youth organisations on Friday (October 16, 2026), the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) announced that Central Park in Connaught Place will remain closed to the public on Friday and Saturday (October 17, 2026), citing “administrative reasons”.

This comes as youth groups, including the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and the All India Students’ Association (AISA), at a joint press conference on Thursday appealed to the public to gather for a mass flag-hoisting demonstration at the Central Park on Friday, as part of their ongoing agitation seeking the rollback of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation.

The organisations condemned the police action against CJP leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka for carrying the National Flag to the Jantar Mantar protest site on Tuesday and called on students, workers, farmers, traders and members of the public to join the Lehra Do Tiranga programme.

CJP founder and national convener Abhijeet Dipke questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s support for Mr. Kumar, alleging that restrictions on protests and the detention of demonstrators raised concerns about the government’s intentions.

“Why is the Prime Minister shutting down Delhi to protect one man? Delhi has been turned into an India-Pakistan border, with railway and Metro services suspended after our October 10 protest call. What does Gyanesh Kumar give Modi in return for this protection?” Mr. Dipke said.

“Unfurling the Tiranga is not a crime”, he said, criticising the police response to demonstrators. “If the government wants to detain this many citizens, Opposition leaders, and students, let it declare an Emergency outright.”

The groups also demanded an end to police action against demonstrators and the restoration of Jantar Mantar as a designated protest site.

AISA president Neha Bora said the campaign to protect voting rights was a nationwide struggle involving ordinary citizens, not any single political party or organisation. She added that protests would continue despite alleged attempts to intimidate demonstrators and said the movement was expanding to cities including Mumbai.

Sibal, Prakash Raj raise concerns

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal warned that arbitrary revisions and large-scale deletions from electoral rolls could undermine electoral integrity and democratic institutions.

Actor-activist Prakash Raj alleged that Form 7, used to request the deletion of names from electoral rolls or raise objections against inclusion of names, was being misused to target communities, particularly Muslim voters. He also highlighted concerns among affected voters in 23 Karnataka districts who, he said, could not travel to Delhi to raise their grievances.

Sheikh Salauddin, president of the Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union, said his name had been deleted from the electoral roll despite his active participation as a voter.

Senior advocate Prashant Bhushan criticised alleged lathi-charges and arbitrary detentions, questioning the withdrawal of Jantar Mantar’s status as a protest site. He argued that the move restricted citizens’ constitutional right to dissent.

Meanwhile, at a late night press conference, Mr. Dipke reacted to the closure of Central Park. He asked: “Is the government going to shut 100 places if we decide to unfurl the flags at 100 locations? Why are they so scared?”

He also said that following the path of Mahatma Gandhi and Babasaheb Ambedkar, people will gather at 5 p.m. at Central Park with the National Flag peacefully and protest against the SIR demanding accountability from the Election Commission of India.