Hundreds gathered at Delhi’s commercial hub Connaught Place on Friday in response to Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke’s “Lehra Do Tiranga” call even as he himself was detained by the police and prevented from joining the march.CJP supporters and student activists staged a series of flash protests, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar amid a massive police deployment. Carrying a giant Tricolour, a group of protesters took multiple rounds of Connaught Place’s inner circle, while another climbed barricades with flags, banners and placards.The CJP leader was detained along with nearly 150 others, including Neha Bora, president of the All India Students’ Association, the student wing of the CPI-ML.Over 20 police personnel first visited Dipke at his Jhandewalan home and served him two notices, the first warning him against holding the march citing traffic snarls and fears of a stampede, and the second reminding him of the conditions (requiring good behaviour for a year) of the release bond he had signed on October 10 before being freed from detention.Later in the day, Dipke was detained and taken to Jafarpur Kalan police station in southwest Delhi, nearly 60 km from the centre of the capital.Bora was detained at Mandi House as she began her march, with central Delhi witnessing a heavy police presence, as it had been on October 10. As many as 6,000 police personnel were deployed along with 221 companies of 100 personnel each (totalling 22,100 personnel).The strategy used today was the same as on October 10— preventive detentions. The Delhi Police said the notice that barred Dipke from the march was issued on the directions of the Delhi High Court. It referred to Dipke’s calls on social media to gather in Connaught Place’s Central Park at 5 pm on October 16.The notice said Connaught Place was a busy commercial hub with limited entry and exit points and crowd surge at one place could hamper movement across its circles, making emergency evacuation difficult. The notice also mentioned the presence of Rajiv Chowk Metro station, which catered to two lakh passengers a day, and said mass gatherings could lead to problems.The notice said that in view of these considerations and the serious risk an unlawful gathering at Connaught Place posed to public order and to rights of other citizens, a prohibitory order under Section 163 of the BNSS was in force there.Meanwhile, police and paramilitary were deployed along the outer, middle and inner circles, around Central Park and at several Palika Bazaar gates. Tear gas vehicles were also positioned in the area with several marchers detained as they waved flags and raised anti-Gyanesh Kumar slogans.Traffic slowed in the outer circle as crowds gathered around Palika Bazaar. Internet connectivity was also intermittent in parts of the area. Some Left organisations, however, did enter the Inner Circle and held a Tricolour march.CPM MP John Brittas said the participants had reached Connaught Place despite the police restrictions and described the march as a challenge to the administration’s decision.