Police deny permission to rally Dipke was to attend

Lucknow: Lucknow Police has denied permission for a proposed protest rally at Eco Garden over alleged examination paper leaks, citing non-cooperation from organisers and their failure to engage with authorities despite repeated attempts.Cockroach Janata Party founder Abhijeet Dipke was scheduled to attend the rally on Friday and had appealed through social media posts and video messages for large-scale participation.According to police, an application seeking permission for the demonstration was submitted by one Vivek Kumar, proposing to hold the protest at Eco Garden in Alambagh from June 12 to June 18, between 10am and 5pm daily.Officials said that after receiving the application, multiple attempts were made to contact the organisers and hold discussions regarding the programme and required administrative arrangements.

However, the organisers neither responded to communications nor attended meetings despite being called several times.“In view of the non-compliance and lack of coordination from the organisers, permission for the proposed protest has been denied,” a police official said.The All India Students’ Association (AISA) was also part of the protest. Samvidha Rastogi, vice-president of AISA’s Lucknow unit, said they had informed police about the protest at Eco Garden but had not submitted any formal application seeking permission.

“Eco Garden is a designated protest venue and it is our democratic right to protest and raise our voices against repeated paper leaks,” she said.Police maintained that while Eco Garden is a designated protest site, prior permission is mandatory, especially for large gatherings, to ensure proper crowd management and prevent any law and order issues.Officials emphasised that organisers must cooperate with the administration and adhere to prescribed protocols to facilitate peaceful demonstrations.