Delhi Police’s X post detailed the Flag Code of India, forbidding half‑mast displays, upside‑down hoisting, or using the tricolour as a curtain or dress accessory. The guidelines also warned against printing or embroidering the flag on everyday items and insisted that it never be used to cover statues or monuments. The police urged citizens to keep the flag dignified at all times.
The march, called 'Lehra Do Tiranga', is organised by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) and was scheduled to start at Connaught Place’s Central Park on Friday. CJP founder Abhijit Dipke had been arrested earlier for alleged involvement in a public disturbance, and the party’s two main members, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, were also detained. The protest stems from a dispute over the appointment of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
To pre‑empt disorder, Delhi Police deployed more than 6,000 officers and 220 Central Armed Police Force companies along the march route. The New Delhi Municipal Council closed Central Park for Friday and Saturday, citing 'administrative reasons', while a prohibitory order barred the CJP from holding any demonstration in Connaught Place. The police also seized Dipke’s residence and issued a notice preventing him from organising a protest there.
In response, CJP officials said they would not accept the police’s restriction and threatened to seek legal recourse. The police offered a limited window for a select group of protesters to wave the national flag at an alternative location, but denied the party permission to conduct the full march. The Delhi Police’s X tweet emphasized that the tricolour must be handled 'with the highest respect'.
For shopkeepers on the corner of Connaught Place, the closure has meant a sudden lull in foot traffic. 'We normally see 300 customers a day,' said Ramesh Kumar, a tea stall owner, 'but now the street is eerily silent.' The police’s heavy presence has also made commuters wary of taking the usual route through the area.
Police will enforce the prohibitory orders through Friday and Saturday, while CJP is expected to file a petition in the Delhi High Court to challenge the ban on its march. The court hearing is scheduled for next week, where the issue of flag display and public assembly will again grab national attention.