Police seized Abhijeet Dipke from his Jhandewalan residence before he could reach Connaught Place for a planned "Lehra Do Tiranga" flag‑hoisting, while AISA chief Neha Bora was intercepted near Mandi House on her way to Jantar Mantar. The two were taken by Delhi Police to Jafarpur Kalan station and the Anti‑Narcotic Task Force office in Manglapuri, respectively. Police said around 150 people were detained that evening, citing lack of permission and potential flag‑code violations. Protesters, including CJP members and student groups, had gathered at Connaught Place and Mandi House to wave the tricolour amid heavy police presence. The crackdown followed a wave of demonstrations accusing the Election Commission of collusion in alleged electoral fraud.
Mamata Banerjee posted on X, calling the arrests an "undeclared Emergency" and accusing the BJP‑led central government of suppressing dissent. MK Stalin demanded that the detained leaders be released immediately and called the detention illegal, urging the Chief Election Commissioner to act. Arvind Kejriwal slammed the move as a "sheer dictatorship", questioning whether waving the national flag could be a crime under Modi’s rule.
A Delhi Police spokesperson said the arrests were lawful, noting that the protest sites had not been officially cleared and that the flag‑code might have been breached. The officer added that the main objective was to maintain law and order and smooth traffic flow in the capital. Another senior officer confirmed that the 150 detainees would be processed and released as soon as possible, if their cases were cleared.
Earlier this month, the CJP had staged flash protests across New Delhi, accusing the Election Commission of manipulating results in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. The protests were part of a broader movement that has seen student unions and civil‑society groups rallying against alleged electoral malpractice. The BJP has branded the demonstrations as attempts to create anarchy, while opposition leaders frame them as a defense of democratic rights.
Opposition leaders have called for the immediate release of Dipke and Bora, while Delhi Police maintain that the arrests were lawful. A court hearing is expected to address the legality of the detentions in the coming weeks, as the opposition presses for a transparent investigation.