New CCTV cameras at Central Park of Connaught Place and Rajiv Chowk Metro Station, deployment of more than 25,000 police and paramilitary personnel in New Delhi and nearby areas, and prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) in force — these are among the security measures that have been taken in view of Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP) ‘Lehra Do Tiranga’ march on Friday.
The CJP, which has been demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation over alleged irregularities in Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls, has given yet another protest call, this time against the arrests of its leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka earlier this week. With Jantar Mantar de-notified as a protest site, the group has called for a protest at Central Park where All India Students’ Association’s Neha Bora and the Aam Aadmi Party will also mark its presence.
On the eve of the fresh stir, the Delhi Police sent out an appeal to people to not assemble at the Central Park. In a notice, the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) said that the Central Park will remain shut to the public on Friday and Saturday “due to administrative reasons” in the wake of the CJP march.
Ahead of the protest, a high-level meeting chaired by Delhi Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar with all senior police officers, including the Joint CP and DCP of the New Delhi area took place on Thursday. A senior police officer said that closing Metros is not an option as of now, and has been reserved as a last-ditch option.
