Dipke calls on supporters to gather at Central Park with tricolour on Friday

NEW DELHI — Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke has called on "patriots" to gather on Friday at Central Park in Delhi's business hub Connaught Place with the national flag, alleging that CJP members Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka have been "jailed only for unfurling the tricolour".

"We will show that waving a tiranga is not a crime," Dipke said on X on Wednesday and asked those who cannot come to Delhi to carry out 'tiranga marches' in their cities. He expressed apprehension that he may also be jailed.

The call comes on a day when Das and Ranka were sent to five-day judicial custody and lodged in Tihar Jail for allegedly violating their peace bonds and trespassing into Jantar Mantar, which has been denotified as a protest area.

The CJP members, holding the tricolour, had raised slogans against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar before they were taken away by police personnel on Tuesday. The outfit said that they had "reclaimed" Jantar Mantar and their right to protest.

"As you know, Saurav and Ashu have been jailed only for unfurling the tricolour. I urge all patriots who love the tricolour to come to Central Park, Connaught Place at 5 pm on October 16 with the national flag. We will show that waving a tiranga is not a crime," Dipke said.

"Those who cannot come to Delhi, take out tiranga marches in your cities in the evening, and show that the tricolour is our pride," he said.

"I also may be jailed after this, but I am not worried. Tricolour is my pride and I will raise it," the CJP founder added.

Their associate Ajinkya Shinde was bound down to maintain peace and good behaviour for six months and released on a personal bond and a surety of INR 5,000, police said.