Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Oct 11: Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke on Sunday said he was returning to his village in Maharashtra to be with his family following the death of his grandmother, while asserting that the organisation would continue its agitation against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
In a post on X, Dipke said CJP leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, also known as Ashu, would address a press conference in Delhi shortly. He maintained that the organisation would not retreat despite the detention of its leaders and the police action during Saturday's protests.
“The CJP will neither back down nor be intimidated,” Dipke wrote. He also described October 10 as “the beginning of the end of this dictatorship”.
Dipke's statement came amid a controversy over whether Delhi Police had informed him about his grandmother's death while he was in custody. His mother had alleged that the police failed to convey the news to him.
Delhi Police, however, said Dipke was promptly informed about the death of his grandmother, Savitribai Shankarrao Dipke, and the scheduled funeral. Police also claimed that he was offered assistance to travel to his hometown in Maharashtra to attend the last rites but declined the offer.
Savitribai died in Santuk Pimpri village in Maharashtra's Hingoli district on Saturday following a prolonged illness.
Dipke, Das and Ranka were detained by Delhi Police inside an aircraft after it landed at the national capital's airport from Mumbai on Saturday. Their detention came ahead of the CJP's planned demonstration at Jantar Mantar, for which police had denied permission.
The three leaders were subsequently placed under preventive arrest and released on Sunday morning after being produced before an executive magistrate. According to CJP legal affairs head Ratna Singh, their release was subject to a condition that they would not breach the peace for one year. Delhi Police said a surety bond of Rs 50,000 had been submitted to ensure peace and good behaviour during the period.
The CJP termed the release a “major legal victory” and criticised the detentions, alleging that the action was aimed at preventing demonstrations seeking accountability over alleged irregularities in electoral rolls.
The organisation has demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. It has claimed that around 13 crore votes were deleted or manipulated, allegations that remain contested.
The CJP has said it will continue its agitation until its demands are addressed. Meanwhile, police have maintained that security measures are necessary to manage the law-and-order situation surrounding the proposed demonstrations in Delhi.