In a joint press conference on Thursday, Oct 15, 2023, Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the Cockroach Janta Party, and AISA chief Neha Bora faced a hostile crowd in Delhi's Connaught Place. The audience erupted in shouts of "Band karo… dafa ho jaao" as Bora was about to speak, forcing the event to halt.
The incident came just a day before the "Lehra do Tiranga" march, a protest scheduled for Friday, Oct 16, at Central Park in Connaught Place. The march is intended to rally opposition against the national election commission.
Dipke accused the authorities of detaining students and opposition leaders, citing former chief ministers Mamata Banerjee, Arvind Kejriwal and Pinarayi Vijayan, and said police were targeting Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. He further alleged that a call on Oct 10 had shut down railway services and that metro stations across Delhi were closed.
AISA's national president intervened, urging the conference management to escort the disruptors out of the venue. The demand highlighted growing tensions between the protest groups and law enforcement.
The "Lehra do Tiranga" march is set to proceed, with security expected to intensify. Observers anticipate potential legal action against those detained and increased scrutiny of the government’s handling of the protests.