NDMC to close Connaught Place Central Park on 16-Oct-17 ahead of Cockroach Janta Party march | Today’s news
Central Park in Connaught Place will remain closed to the public on October 16 and 17 for administrative reasons, the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) said in a notification, a step ahead of the CJP’s ‘Lehra to Tiranga’ march in the park on Friday.
In a notification dated October 15, the civic body said, “This is to inform that Central Park, Connaught Place will remain closed to the general public on October 16, 2026 and October 17, 2026 for administrative reasons.”
On Wednesday, the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) announced that it would take out a ‘Lehra to Tiranga’ march at the park located in the center of the inner circle of Connaught Place on Friday at 5 pm. The notification for the closure of the park was issued by the director of NDMC.
What Dipke said at Thursday’s press conference
In a press conference on Thursday, CJP founder Abhijit Dipke appealed to people to join its national flag march.
“I request all political parties and civil society groups to rise above ideology and come together. If the right to vote is not saved, democracy will not be saved,” Dipke said.
The call for the march came after the arrest of CJP leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, who were sent to five-day judicial custody on Wednesday after they entered Jantar Mantar and raised slogans demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Earlier this week, the Delhi Police marked Jantar Mantar’s status as a designated protest site, prompting the unit to challenge the order by returning to the venue with the national flag.
On Thursday, tight security was in place in and around Connaught Place and Jantar Mantar ahead of the planned march, with several units of paramilitary forces already deployed in the capital.
According to police officials, security personnel will be deployed at strategic locations while barricades will be erected and movement of protesters and commuters will be regulated to maintain law and order and prevent any untoward incident.
A senior police officer said that Connaught Place was not the designated site of the protests.
“Jantar Mantar has been designated as a designated protest venue. Protesters can hold demonstrations at Ramlila Maidan, Burari Ground or CBD Ground after obtaining necessary permission,” the official said.
