Left‑Wing Leaders Arrested Ahead of Flag‑Hoisting Rally in Delhi

On October 16, Delhi Police detained a crowd of about 150 activists scheduled to participate in the "Tiranga Sabha" at Central Park, Connaught Place. The operation was carried out based on intelligence inputs, police officials said. While the police blocked the main rally, student organisations such as SFI, DYFI, AISA and AIYF staged a "Tiranga March" to protest the move. CPI(M) MP John Brittas noted that his supporters had reached the city’s core despite attempts to stop them, confronting police orders and maintaining respect for the national emblem. Police also moved in on leftist participants congregating near Mandhi House who were demanding the ouster of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. In a swift sequence, AISA’s national president Neha Bora and CJP co‑ordinator Abhijit Dipke were both taken into custody. Dipke had called for a demonstration to oppose the arrests of party figures Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka and to raise the tricolour, even after receiving two police notices warning of an NDMC‑issued ban and potential legal action. CJP spokesperson Mehr Pasriha asserted that the freedom to decide where the flag flies is a fundamental right and should not be curtailed.