Abhijeet Dipke, the charismatic founder of the Cockroach Janata Party, boarded a flight from Mumbai to Delhi on Saturday, arriving early in the morning. Delhi Police entered the aircraft and detained him along with two fellow party members, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, before they could reach the protest site at Jantar Mantar—an action the party described as a "political crackdown." ---
Dipke had planned to join a demonstration demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. He reportedly told the officers, "I have come here to be arrested; arrest me," a statement he shared on his personal social media account. The protest was scheduled for the afternoon, but the detention halted his participation.
Meanwhile, in the remote village of Santuk Pimpri in Hingoli district, Maharashtra, Dipke’s grandmother, the mother of his father Bhagwan Dipke, succumbed to a prolonged illness and age‑related ailments. The family was in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar when the news arrived; police had already deployed personnel outside their residence. Anita and Bhagwan Dipke are expected to leave immediately for Hingoli to conduct the last rites.
The CJP released a statement on its official page announcing the detentions and criticized the Delhi Police for interfering with the party’s right to assemble. The statement also hinted that the authorities might suspend Dipke’s travel rights pending the investigation. The next step will be a decision from the police regarding whether Dipke can travel to Hingoli before the protest proceeds as planned.
The incident has drawn attention from local media and political observers, who note that the timing of the detention—coinciding with the death of Dipke’s grandmother—has raised questions about the motives behind the police action. As the protest at Jantar Mantar approaches, officials have yet to clarify the conditions for Dipke’s release or travel.