Police said the march would be stopped on the grounds that it would disrupt law and order in a high-security zone, endanger public safety and choke traffic.
Delhi Police officials on Saturday said they would not allow the Sansad Chalo march to Parliament that the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) has called for Monday morning, describing the entire ongoing hunger strike at Jantar Mantar as an “illegal” protest for which no fresh permission had been sought.
Senior officers said the march would be stopped on the grounds that it would disrupt law and order in a high-security zone, endanger public safety and choke traffic in central Delhi. Detentions, they said, would follow if a large gathering pushed toward Parliament.
‘CJP continued protest without clearance’
A senior police officer aware of the matter, who asked not to be named, said the CJP had permission only for a single day at Jantar Mantar, had signed undertakings to that effect, and had subsequently extended the protest without clearance. “CJP spokesperson Abhijeet Dipke has never informed us or applied for a permission for the Sansad Chalo march. It’s a completely illegal protest because they only had permission for one day. We even made them sign undertakings. Now, they have extended it without any permission. Also, for the march, we only approached them but they have not even applied for a permission,” the officer said.
CJP spokesperson Vaishnavi Gaur disputed the account. “We had intimated them about the march way back. They know very well about the march and our plans. In any case, they won’t allow us,” she told HT, adding that it was only done in person and not in writing.
Tight security measures at Jantar Mantar
The police have deployed over 100 personnel, along with Rapid Action Force units, on both sides of the Jantar Mantar site and inside the protest area. Officers said 200 personnel would be posted on Saturday and Sunday, additional units and paramilitary forces would be called in for Monday’s march, and extra police vans have been placed around the site. The crowd at Jantar Mantar swelled from around 500 to 800 through the day, they said.