Abhijeet Dipke Questions Delhi Metro Station Closures As CJP Protests At Mumbai's Shivaji Park

Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke on Friday questioned the closure of Delhi Metro stations as he targeted the authorities over restrictions on protests at Mumbai’s Shivaji Park and Delhi’s Jantar Mantar.

Dipke, who was in Mumbai for the CJP protest seeking Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation, questioned why Metro stations had been shut in Delhi if the demonstration at Shivaji Park was considered an inconvenience to the public.

“Shivaji Park par protest karna public ke liye inconvenience hai toh Delhi me metro band karna kya hai,” Dipke wrote on X.

12 Delhi Metro stations shut

Ahead of the protest at Jantar Mantar called by the All India Students’ Association (AISA) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Friday, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) announced the closure of entry and exit facilities at 12 Metro stations until further notice amid heightened security.

The restrictions coincided with Gandhi Jayanti programmes at Rajghat and Vijay Ghat. The Delhi Traffic Police also put special arrangements in place in central Delhi from 5 am to 11 am, according to an earlier HT report.

Over 500 detained at Jantar Mantar

More than 500 people were detained after protesters gathered at Jantar Mantar despite being denied permission, news agency PTI reported.

Those detained included AAP leaders Saurabh Bharadwaj, Sanjeev Jha, Atishi and Sanjay Singh, along with activists from some student organisations.

Political parties and members of AISA, the Students’ Federation of India (SFI), the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) and other student bodies joined the protest demanding Kumar’s resignation over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and alleged mass deletion of voters.

Police said they stopped AAP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh at North Avenue, preventing him from proceeding to the protest site.

In a post on X, Bharadwaj said he and Jha had been detained despite the peaceful protest. He urged party workers and supporters to continue the agitation and reach Jantar Mantar.

CJP stages protest at Shivaji Park

In Mumbai, CJP activists and members of other civil society organisations staged a protest at Shivaji Park against the Election Commission and alleged irregularities in the SIR exercise.

Police deployed heavy security at Shivaji Park following the protest call.

In Delhi, security was tightened in central areas after police denied permission for the proposed demonstration and imposed restrictions under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023.

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CJP spokesperson appeals to Mumbaikars

CJP spokesperson Saurav Das alleged that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar was a “traitor” and the “real anti-national”. He also claimed the Mumbai protest would receive support from people across the country.

“The youth of the whole country, the young generation, everyone came out last time for the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan. And this time too, it is going to be the same with Gyanesh Kumar, who is a traitor to the country. The youth of Mumbai are hitting the streets again. Today, a massive protest is going to happen at Shivaji Park. And I want, I appeal to all the Mumbaikars and our friends. Everyone come,” Das said.