Delhi protests LIVE | CJP’s Abhijeet Dipke gets bail, asked to sign a bond

Uddhav Thackeray speaks on regime change

"If the right to express ourselves through vote and protest is being taken away, then we have to change the regime. Police is assaulting youth and women, and tearing their clothes; such a regime needs to be buried," said Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray.

Actor Imran Khan receives FRRO notice on OCI status

Bollywood actor Imran Khan, a US citizen, on Saturday moved the Bombay High Court challenging a notice issued by Mumbai Police directing him to leave India by October 28 for attending a political protest, even as he received a show-cause notice from the FRRO as to why his Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) status should not be cancelled.

The 43-year-old actor, who had been briefly detained during a demonstration here related to the protests seeking Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar's resignation, claimed in his High Court petition that he had not participated in any gathering and had no association with the organisers of the protests.

While he moved the High Court, Khan also received a show-cause notice from the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO), seeking a clarification as to why his OCI status should not be revoked, said his lawyer Zulfiquar Memon.

This notice should have been issued before Mumbai Police issued their "abrupt and arbitrary" 'Leave India Notice' (LIN), the lawyer said. In his petition, the actor said the notice issued by the Mumbai police was "illegal, arbitrary, perverse and drastic".

CJP protest 'anti-constitutional': BJP

On the CJP protest in Delhi, BJP spokesperson Sandeep Verma told ANI, "The activities of these individuals are anti-constitutional and directed against constitutional institutions. They aim to incite instability and chaos within the country. In my view, such individuals should not be granted bail; they ought to remain in jail. They are being influenced by developments in Nepal and Bangladesh. They have even stated that they draw inspiration from the movements in Bangladesh. Consider what happened there: democracy was stifled, and the sole objective was a change in power. They seek to replicate that same instability here. Such people should not be allowed to roam freely. Beyond a certain point, there must be restrictions on freedom of speech. Today, the nation is progressing, and we are now among the top five economies in the world. All of this has been made possible under the leadership of our Prime Minister, Narendra Modi."

Questioning govt in democracy not anarchy, it's people's right: Ashok Gehlot

Former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot accused the BJP of portraying peaceful Opposition protests as attempts to create anarchy and said that demanding a change of power through elections and questioning the government are democratic rights.

Gehlot questioned the Centre's reluctance to consult Opposition parties on major issues, like delimitation and women's reservation, and demanded an all-party meeting.

"BJP leaders are now alleging that the opposition wanted to bring about a change of government through Bangladesh-like unrest and street protests. The BJP should explain where it saw violence in the movement led by Rahul Gandhi," he said.

Referring to the October 12 march in Delhi, Gehlot said it was one of the most disciplined and peaceful demonstrations the national capital has seen in recent years.

He said leaders and workers of INDIA bloc parties, social activists, ordinary citizens and Gen Z participated in the march.

Raising the pitch over its "vote theft" charge, the Congress has vowed to intensify its resistance in Parliament, courts and the streets till the election commission is "restored" as an independent constitutional authority and demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well as CEC Gyanesh Kumar for "match-fixing" of polls.

The INDIA bloc has raised four key demands, including the immediate suspension of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and the restoration of 13.3 crore voters whose names were deleted through this exercise.

Indian student groups protest against CEC, SIR in London

Hundreds gathered at Mahatma Gandhi’s statue at Parliament Square in London on Saturday for a protest organised by the Opposition Congress and UK-based Indian students’ groups against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

While the “Stop Vote Chori” protest cheered for activist Dhruv Rathee as the keynote speaker, chants of “Modi, Modi” rang out from a smaller group across the Gandhi statue, being kept apart by Metropolitan Police officers.

The face-off between the groups got heated as each tried to drown out the other’s chants.

“We don’t want any foreign interference. I am here at Parliament Square to address Indians and NRIs,” said Rathee, addressing the gathering in Hindi.

“It is important to spread the message against ‘vote chori’ in our country. These protests will stop the moment the Chief Election Commissioner is replaced by a candidate that is chosen in agreement between the government and Leader of the Opposition,” he said.

His address followed slogans of “Inquilab Zindabad”, “Vande Mataram” and the reading of the preamble of the Constitution of India.

The protest was organised by the Indian Overseas Congress Youth wing and supported by several diaspora platforms including Save Democracy, Students’ Federation of India (SFI) UK and South Asia Solidarity Group among others.

Meanwhile, India Diaspora (ID) UK had issued an “Urgent appeal to all London Bharat Premi Janta” to gather in counter-protest.

ID UK founder Hirdesh Gupta said: “The Indian diaspora in the UK stands firmly, shoulder to shoulder, with Modi Ji and his government in their vision of a strong, united and developed India.”

CJP’s Dipke shares photo of Das, Ranka, hopes to see them 'free'

CJP leader Abhijeet Dipke, who was released on conditional bail on Saturday, shared a photograph of party colleagues Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka. The two are lodged in Tihar Jail following their arrest earlier this week for allegedly entering Jantar Mantar, a de-notified protest site.

Delhi Police allows Cong to hold rally at Ramlila Maidan on November 1

The Delhi Police has allowed the Congress to hold a rally at Ramlila Maidan on November 1 and issued a no-objection certificate (NOC) for the event, a senior police officer said on Saturday.

On September 30, the INDIA bloc finalised a joint action plan over the SIR (Special Intensive Revision) row, including rallies and 'save democracy marches', with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge saying all parties agreed that elections should be held using ballot papers instead of EVMs. Then, Kharge said the party would organise a mega rally in Delhi on November 1.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) Rohit Rajbir Singh said, "The Indian National Congress (INC) has planned a rally at Ramlila Maidan on November 1 and had approached the Delhi Police for the requisite NOC. The NOC for holding the rally at the designated protest site has been issued for the period from October 25 to November 3."

The Delhi Police is in constant coordination with the organisers, traffic police, and other concerned agencies to ensure appropriate law-and-order arrangements, effective traffic management, and the smooth conduct of the proposed rally, police said.

Dipke's family relieved after his bail

CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke’s mother, Anita Dipke, said the family had been deeply anxious following his arrest, which came less than 10 days after his grandmother’s death. She said news of his bail came as a relief after hours of stress and worry.

CPM’s MA Baby accuses Centre of targeting women protesters through sexual harassment

CPM general secretary MA Baby has accused the Union government of targeting women protesters through sexual harassment, alleging that security personnel deployed in Delhi were deliberately assaulting women in public spaces.

“The Union government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah is targeting the private parts of girls who are protesting,” Baby alleged. He termed it as a deliberate attempt to intimidate women participating in demonstrations. "I am making this statement with full responsibility and awareness of its meaning," he added. He cited an example of a woman journalist being assaulted during the Delhi protests.

“The accused ACP in this case did not merely touch her. He groped her private parts. That is why I call this a filthy government,” Baby said. He argued that such conduct could not be viewed merely as the actions of individual personnel acting independently.

Baby was speaking at the Prof V Aravindakshan memorial event in Thrissur, where the memorial award was presented to former Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union president Aishe Ghosh. The event featured a discussion titled Student Movement in Contemporary India: Role, Relevance and the Road Ahead. Prof V Aravindakshan was a Marxist ideologue and writer.

Calling for unity among progressive and democratic forces, Baby said the struggle against the Union government should continue without compromise. He urged student organisations and political movements across the country to join hands and build a united resistance. “We must hold hands and raise our clenched fists without making any compromises in the struggle we have to wage,” he said, calling for struggles emerging from different parts of India to come together as a united movement.

The allegations of sexual harassment and assault were made by Baby at the event and could not be independently verified.

CJP leader Dipke granted bail after being detained ahead of Tiranga march

CJP leader Abhijeet Dipke was on Saturday (October 17) granted bail after he was produced before Special Executive Magistrate court in Delhi. He was granted conditional bail and asked to sign a peace bond before his release, which is expected shortly. 

Dipke will not be sent to judicial custody and will be released after completing the bond formalities, according to the information available. He has been asked to sign a peace bond again as part of the release process.

Dipke and AISA national president Neha Bora were arrested ahead of the CJP’s Tiranga march at Connaught Place on Friday. Bora was released on Saturday morning after formal procedures under Section 65 of the Delhi Police Act.