The detention of Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP) convenor Abhijeet Dipke ahead of the organisation’s scheduled Tiranga March near Connaught Place has put its leadership and contingency plans to the test. The organisation said it had prepared an alternative strategy in case Delhi Police prevented its leader from reaching the protest venue.
The CJP had called for a Tiranga March at Central Park in Connaught Place at 5 pm on Friday. However, heightened security and restrictions on public gatherings raised questions about whether its leaders and supporters would be able to assemble at the designated location.
Minutes before Dipke’s detention, a CJP representative told India Today Digital that the organisation had prepared a Plan B, similar to the arrangements made during its October 10 protest.
“If Abhijeet Dipke is detained by the Delhi Police, we will announce our alternative plan,” CJP media team official Vijay M told India Today Digital.
Vijay added that the contingency plan would also be activated if police prevented Dipke from reaching Connaught Place without formally detaining him. At the time, the organisation said it had no information about his detention and that the convenor was making every effort to reach the venue.
Dipke subsequently left his residence in Jhandewalan but was taken into preventive custody by Delhi Police shortly before the march was scheduled to begin.
Dipke Detained Before Scheduled March
Earlier in the afternoon, police personnel visited the residence where Dipke was staying and served him a notice directing him not to participate in the march. The notice cited restrictions imposed under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).
Despite the warning, Dipke stepped out at around 4.50 pm to travel to Connaught Place. Police detained him within minutes, prompting some protesters to attempt to block the vehicle carrying him away.
During the incident, Dipke questioned the legal basis of his detention and asked officers what law he had violated. Police maintained that the action was preventive.
October 10 Protest Offers a Precedent
The CJP’s contingency arrangements follow a similar episode during its October 10 protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi. On that occasion, convenor Abhijeet Dipke, along with Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, was detained by Delhi Police shortly after their flight from Mumbai landed in the capital.
Anticipating possible detention, Dipke had recorded a video the previous night naming the organisation’s in-charge, Ajinkya Shinde, as his successor for the protest.
The CJP released the video after the detentions and announced that Shinde would lead the movement until the three leaders were released. Shinde subsequently urged supporters to continue towards Jantar Mantar and demonstrate wherever police stopped them.
The episode established a precedent for the organisation to transfer protest leadership when its senior figures are detained.
Security Tightened at Connaught Place
Delhi Police stepped up security around Connaught Place’s Inner Circle, placing barricades and buses to prevent protesters from entering Central Park for the planned march.
Personnel from Delhi Police, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the Rapid Action Force (RAF) were deployed in and around the area.
India Today reporter Anand Singh reported that additional security personnel were being mobilised as the scheduled start of the march approached. Senior RAF officers patrolling the area declined to comment on the specific arrangements, saying Delhi Police was overseeing security.
Small groups of protesters were also seen near Central Park, where police personnel asked them to disperse.
CJP’s Campaign and the Leadership Challenge
The organisation has been campaigning against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and demanding the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
The detention of Dipke comes amid a series of police actions involving CJP leaders. On October 13, after the leaders were released, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were detained for entering the restricted Jantar Mantar protest site without authorisation.
Police accused them of trespassing, violating prohibitory orders and breaching peace bonds. Both were sent to five days of judicial custody on October 14 and lodged in Tihar Jail. Fellow CJP leader Ajinkya Shinde, who was detained alongside them, was released on a personal bond.
Friday’s developments have once again raised questions about the movement’s ability to sustain its mobilisation when senior leaders are prevented from participating directly.
Although the CJP has confirmed that a Plan B is ready, it has not publicly disclosed the details of the alternative strategy or identified who would lead the Tiranga March in Dipke’s absence. The organisation’s next steps will indicate how effectively it can maintain its protest campaign amid restrictions and repeated detentions of its leadership.