Abhijit Dipke, founder of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), has been freed a day after he was detained amid the protests under way in India. A Delhi court ordered his release on Saturday, telling him to post a bond of 50,000 rupees and give an undertaking not to disturb public order.
On Friday Abhijit had planned to join a “Lehra Do Tiranga” (fly the national flag) event in Delhi’s Connaught Place, organised as part of the continuing protests over alleged election fraud. Police detained him before the event.
Neha Bora, president of the All India Students’ Association (AISA), was also detained on Friday and was released early on Saturday. Abhijit, however, was produced by Delhi Police before a special executive magistrate.
Police said protesters had planned to march with national flags in Connaught Place on Friday evening, and were detained in advance to maintain law and order and keep traffic moving. Despite the police restrictions, several small marches, including by students, went ahead.
Neha Bora was released once the formalities of detention under the Delhi Police Act were completed. Abhijit, police said, had been arrested in a new case under sections 126 and 170 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) on a charge of disturbing public order.
Earlier, on 10 October, Abhijit was detained on board a plane at Delhi airport. A separate case of disturbing public order was filed against him then, and he had to sign an undertaking not to disturb the peace for one year.
After her release, Neha Bora criticised Delhi Police and the BJP government at the centre, calling the detentions illegal. She demanded an end to the controversial Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter rolls, and the resignation and jailing of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report