Mamata, Kejriwal, Akhilesh back Abhijeet Dipke, Neha Bora after detention over tiranga protests

Dipke was detained from his residence in Delhi's Jhandewalan before he could reach Connaught Place, where a flag-hoisting event titled 'Lehra Do Tiranga' was planned.

Bora was detained near Mandi House while heading towards Jantar Mantar, which was denotified as a protest site last week.

Despite the detentions and heavy police deployment, hundreds of demonstrators, including CJP members and student groups, staged flash protests at Connaught Place and Mandi House, waving the national flag. Delhi Police said around 100 people had been detained from various locations by Friday evening.

‘Your didi stands with you’: Mamata Banerjee

Mamata Banerjee strongly criticised the police action, questioning why Dipke had been detained for holding the national flag.

“What is Delhi Police up to?” the West Bengal Chief Minister wrote on X, describing the detention as an attack on young people's democratic rights.

She accused the BJP-led central government of attempting to silence dissent and described the situation as an “undeclared Emergency”.

Addressing Dipke and two other CJP leaders, Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das, Banerjee wrote: “Your Didi stands firmly with you,” expressing solidarity with the young protesters.

She also accused the Centre and the Election Commission of acting together to undermine democratic rights.

Stalin demands immediate release

DMK president and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin questioned why the authorities had not disclosed the whereabouts of Dipke and Bora following their detention.

“Detaining them without disclosing their whereabouts is blatantly illegal and deeply inhumane,” Stalin wrote on X, demanding their immediate release.

He accused the Union government of suppressing peaceful protests and warned that attempts to curb the movement would only strengthen it. Stalin also called for Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar to step down.

Police sources told PTI that Dipke had been taken to Jafarpur Kalan police station. AISA subsequently said Bora was being held alone at the Anti-Narcotic Task Force office in Manglapuri, both on the outskirts of Delhi.

Kejriwal calls action ‘sheer dictatorship’

AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal also criticised the detentions, describing the action by the Centre and Delhi Police as “sheer dictatorship”.

“Is waving the Tiranga a crime?” Kejriwal asked, alleging that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government was intimidated by the protesters.

In another post, he questioned why anyone should be prevented from displaying the national flag in India and accused those objecting to it of undermining national pride.

The Congress also expressed solidarity with the protesters detained during the demonstrations.

“Together, we will fight and defeat their sinister plot to undermine our democracy by attacking our right to vote,” the party said in a post on X, accusing the BJP-led NDA government of targeting democratic rights.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, meanwhile, questioned why police had not disclosed Bora's location until late at night.

BJP accuses protesters of attempting to create anarchy

The BJP dismissed the allegations of electoral fraud, describing the protests as attempts to create disorder and attributing the opposition's campaign to its inability to accept electoral defeats.

BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi alleged that the protesters were acting at the behest of “foreign masters”.

“Their intention is not to save democracy, but to act on the signals of their foreign masters,” Trivedi said, further accusing the demonstrators of attempting to create anarchy and destabilise the country.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who has participated in several demonstrations over the past two weeks, had not personally commented on the latest detentions when the report was filed.

‘What law have I broken?’ Dipke questions police

Earlier on Friday, more than 20 Delhi Police personnel visited Dipke's residence and served him a notice directing him to refrain from activities that could affect the rights of citizens, traders, commuters, patients and others.

The notice cited prohibitory orders around Connaught Place and stated that the New Delhi Municipal Council had not granted permission for the proposed Tiranga Yatra.

Police told Dipke that waving the national flag was not illegal, but organising an unauthorised march or assembling a crowd could invite action.

Dipke was heard questioning the restrictions, asking: “New Delhi nahin jaa sakta, kahin aur toh jaa sakta hoon. Maine kaun sa kanoon toda hai?” (I cannot go to New Delhi, but I can go somewhere else. What law have I broken?)

Delhi Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar also visited Parliament Street police station to review security arrangements. Central Park in Connaught Place was cordoned off, with security personnel forming a human chain along its railings and Rapid Action Force personnel deployed inside.

Police say protesters completed three rounds of Connaught Place

In a statement later in the night, Delhi Police said around 100 people had been detained from Barakhamba Road, Mandi House and other locations, while no one had been detained from Connaught Place's Inner Circle.

A police spokesperson said participants could march with the Tricolour as long as they respected the national flag.

Police maintained that the planned gatherings lacked permission and raised concerns about possible violations of the Flag Code.

The spokesperson added that a march lasting around 15 to 20 minutes had taken place in Connaught Place, with protesters completing three rounds of the Inner Circle without attempting to enter Central Park.

Police also said metro stations and markets remained open, internet services continued to function, and traffic movement was largely unaffected.

The detentions have intensified the political confrontation between opposition parties and the BJP-led Centre over allegations of electoral irregularities, with the opposition framing the protests as a defence of voting rights and the BJP accusing its rivals of attempting to create unrest.