CJP's Abhijeet Dipke claims IB is tracking him, says Delhi Police may detain him

Abhijeet Dipke alleged surveillance and possible detention ahead of the CJP's Tiranga march. The protest seeks Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's removal over alleged electoral roll irregularities.

In Short

• CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke alleges surveillance
• Dipke says ready to be jailed for waving Tiranga during planned march on Friday
• Central Park in Connaught Place closed by NDMC ahead of CJP's Tiranga protest

Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke on Thursday alleged that vehicles without number plates were following him and Intelligence Bureau (IB) personnel were monitoring his residence, claiming that Delhi Police could detain him on Thursday night or Friday morning ahead of the party's planned Tiranga march.

Addressing a press conference on Thursday, Dipke said he was prepared to go to jail for waving the national flag, challenging the authorities to treat the act as a crime.

“Tomorrow, we will peacefully go and wave the Tiranga. As the citizens of this country, if you consider this to be a crime, then you are the biggest traitor,” he said.

“If we have to go to jail to wave the Tiranga in this country, then we are ready for it,” he added.

The CJP has called on its supporters and members of the public to gather at Central Park in Connaught Place on Friday to wave the national flag. The march is part of the party's protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

CENTRAL PARK SHUT AHEAD OF PROTEST

Earlier on Thursday, the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) announced that Central Park, the planned venue for the march, would remain closed on October 16 and 17.

Questioning the decision, Dipke asked whether authorities would shut down every location if the party decided to organise similar flag-waving events elsewhere.

“Tomorrow, we will say that we will wave the Tiranga at 100 places. So you will shut down all 100 places?” he said.

He also questioned whether a political rally would be cancelled if people planned to wave the national flag at the venue.

“Tomorrow, we will say that if you go to Narendra Modi's rally and wave the Tiranga, will you cancel your rally? What a joke you have made,” Dipke said.

“Declare officially that you will not wave the Tiranga. Then you are a traitor. Till date, no Prime Minister or any government has ever done this,” he added.

DIPKE ALLEGES SURVEILLANCE

Dipke alleged that vehicles without number plates had been following him and that IB personnel were seeking updates from the watchman outside his house.

“Delhi Police can detain me tonight or tomorrow morning, but I want to tell Narendra Modi that we are not going to be scared by this,” he said.

He also cited the arrests of CJP colleagues Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, alleging that people were being jailed for waving the national flag.

“Why does the Prime Minister of India hate the Tiranga so much? If he hates the Tiranga, does he deserve to be the Prime Minister?” Dipke said.

The CJP founder said the party's demand was for Gyanesh Kumar to be removed as Chief Election Commissioner and replaced through an independent and impartial process, rather than for a change of government.

“We are just saying remove Gyanesh Kumar and appoint someone else. We are not saying we want to change the regime,” he said.

Dipke also alleged that Kumar was not listening to the other Election Commissioners and questioned whether demanding his removal constituted a crime.

“This is an emergency. Narendra Modi is not declaring because he is afraid that his image will be ruined by declaring an emergency,” he added.

- Ends
With inputs from PTI