Das, Ranka in Tihar; Dipke calls CP gathering tomorrow - Urges people to arrive at 5 pm, says waving Tiranga not a crime - Alok Singh, Pragynesh & Sakshi Chand New Delhi, October 14.
COCKROACH JANTA Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke on Wednesday gave a call for people to assemble at Connaught Place to demonstrate that waving a Tiranga is not a crime.
Earlier in day, special executive magistrate had sent CJP leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka to Tihar Jail after they, along with colleague Ajinkya Shinde, were placed under preventive arrest. Three men were part of group of 14 CJP members who had allegedly breached security and entered Jantar Mantar protest site on Tuesday morning, and managed to raise Tricolour before they were overpowered and detained by police.
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In video message posted on social media Wednesday evening, Dipke appealed to all patriots and those who love Tricolour to gather at Central Park in CP at 5 pm on Friday (October 16). He asked them to carry national flag with them, and called for Tiranga marches in other cities as well.
CJP's Ajinkya Shinde, Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das inside Parliament Street police station in New Delhi.
"Those who cannot come to Delhi should organise Tiranga March in their cities and tell these dictators that our Tricolour is our pride and that waving it is not a crime," Dipke said. He added he too might be arrested and sent to jail after assembly on Friday, but that would not deter him.
Delhi Police said no permission had been sought for assembly at Central Park. With prohibitory orders under Section 163 of BNSS in force, chances of CJP securing permission for gathering appeared slim.
On Monday, police had denotified Jantar Mantar area protest site and named three alternative locations where protesters could gather.
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Dipke, Ranka, and Das had been detained earlier on October 10 after they arrived in Delhi from Mumbai for CJP's planned march to Jantar Mantar that day.
They were released on personal bonds of Rs 50,000 each, with condition that they would not engage in breach of peace for a year. Dipke had subsequently flown to his home in Maharashtra following bereavement in family.
Police officers said Wednesday that Ranka and Das had made repeated attempts to disturb public peace and violate law by entering denotified protest area without permission.
The group of 14 had allegedly reached Jantar Mantar using narrow lane behind JD(U) office, and climbed over locked iron gate. They had allegedly surveyed area on Monday night to identify way into heavily barricaded and guarded site.
On October 13, Saurav Das, Ashutosh Ranka, Ajinkya Shinde and 11 other members of CJP reached Jantar Mantar, which has been denotified as designated protest site, by trespassing through private premises, police said in statement. They allegedly jostled with officers who tried to stop them, obstructing police personnel in their duties. Two separate cases were registered against CJP group. Sections of disobedience of order given by public servant, house trespass, and criminal conspiracy, were invoked against them.
In view of their alleged repeated attempts to disturb public peace and violate law, Ashutosh Ranka, Saurav Das and Ajinkya Shinde were arrested under relevant preventive provisions of law. Their alleged attempts to instigate others through social media to engage in similar unlawful activities were also taken into consideration, police said.
Das, Ranka, and Sinde were produced before magistrate's court at Mandir Marg, which sent Ranka and Das to five days judicial custody for repeated violations of law and serious apprehension that if released on bail, they will again violate law and instigate others, police said. Shinde was released on bail bond of Rs 5,000 and on condition that for one year, he would not participate in any activity that would breach peace.
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For Delhi Police, case is about enforcing denotification. For CJP, small satirical party that started as online joke but now pulls crowds, waving Tiranga at Jantar Mantar became symbolic test of whether patriotism needs permission.
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