Abhijeet Dipke, the founder of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), was seized by Delhi Police as his flight landed in New Delhi on October 10, 2026, and he pre‑recorded a video announcing that Ajinkya Shinde would take the helm of the upcoming protest.
The detention came after the CJP’s leaders, including Dipke, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, were apprehended at the airport in a surprise raid that followed the party’s plan to march against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar at Jantar Mantar. Delhi Police said the protest was denied because it was not authorised.
Shinde, a long‑time associate of Dipke from Maharashtra, had left a corporate job to work full‑time for the Aam Aadmi Party before joining the CJP. He has campaigned in every district of Maharashtra and was named the party’s Organisation In‑Charge to steer the movement.
In addition to the CJP leaders, the police rounded up at least 400 protesters from across the capital, and YouTuber Dhruv Rathee was taken from his Gurugram home in a separate operation. Delhi Police said it had arrested at least 400 protesters, and the arrested demonstrators were packed into police buses and transferred to Chhatrasal Stadium for processing.
With the top leadership in custody, Shinde will spearhead the march at Jantar Mantar until the detained leaders are released, with the CJP calling for nationwide solidarity until their release.