CJP's Tiranga march: People hit streets of Delhi again, reiterate call for Gyanesh Kumar's resignation

As the row over alleged irregularities in S.I.R. continues, people again took to the streets, as the Cockroach Janata Party called for a 'Lehra Do Tiranga' protest in India's national capital.

Delhi's Connaught Place turned into a fortress, with the deployment of thousands of cops as well as military personnel. At least 150 protesters, including CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, were detained by the Delhi Police.

People waved the national flag and marched peacefully in the national capital on CJP's appeal. This was part of the larger protests to demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

Similarly, AAP Delhi president Saurabh Bharadwaj, along with several party workers, took out a Tricolour Yatra near the Rashtrapati Bhavan. Senior leaders such as Gopal Rai also took part in the protests.

Left MPs and workers from student organisations such as SFI, DYFI and AISF also carried out the Tiranga March protest.

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This is not all.

Members and supporters of CJP also held protests in Bengaluru and Mumbai's Azad Maidan.

A few hours earlier, Delhi Police placed Abhijeet Dipke under preventive detention, citing that permission had not been granted to the 'Lehra Do Tiranga' protest.

According to sources, police has taken the CJP founder to a safe place in Delhi and is preparing to take legal action against him.

Earlier in the day, Delhi Police reached Dipke's residence and served him a notice instructing him not to visit Central Park.

AISA president Neha Bora, another leader who has been at the centre stage of protests, was also detained along with other AISA workers by Delhi Police near Mandi House.

Now, even as police advised people to stay away from the protests, citizens still turned up, voicing their dissatisfaction against the Election Commission of India.

Earlier in the day, the Supreme Court of India refused an urgent hearing on a plea challenging the New Delhi Municipal Council's decision to shut Central Park where CJP called for protests.

Observing that it was conscious of difficulties that such a closure could cause to small shopkeepers and their families, the court hinted that it could intervene if the restrictions result in business losses.

Meanwhile, various trade and business organisations wrote to PM Modi over their losses due to the recent protests and also demanded his intervention in the matter to protect their interests.

The spate of protests raises some key questions.

Will the central government initiate a dialogue with the opposition and CJP, which is unrelenting on its demand for the Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's resignation?

Will there be a conscious effort to address concerns over the deletion of eligible voters' names?

With both sides at loggerheads, an early end to the impasse seems quite unlikely.