Delhi Police says Abhijeet Dipke was informed of grandmother's death as parents question why he missed last rites

Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leader Abhijeet Dipke on Sunday said he was heading back to his village to be with his family during a moment of grief, a day after he and two other party leaders were detained by Delhi Police upon arriving at Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport from Mumbai.

In a post on X, Dipke said, "Heading back to my village to be with my family during this moment of grief." He added that CJP leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka would address a press conference in Delhi shortly. 

"The CJP will neither back down nor be intimidated," Dipke wrote, adding, "October 10 will go down as the beginning of the end of this dictatorship."

Dipke, Das and Ranka were released by a Special Executive Magistrate on Sunday morning, October 11, after spending nearly 24 hours in preventive detention. Their release reportedly came with conditions linked to maintaining peace. The three leaders were detained by Delhi Police from inside their Air India flight shortly after it landed at IGI Airport on Saturday. They were travelling to participate in the party's proposed protest at Jantar Mantar, for which authorities had denied permission.The CJP has been demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

The police initiated preventive action against the leaders under Sections 126 and 170 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), relating to security for keeping the peace and preventing the commission of cognisable offences.

The detentions came amid a wider crackdown on protesters in Delhi ahead of the planned demonstration. YouTuber Dhruv Rathee was also detained on Saturday and subsequently released.

Despite the detentions, the CJP has maintained that its agitation over the SIR exercise and its demand for the CEC's resignation will continue. 

Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke's parents have condemned the continued detention of their son even after his grandmother died, questioning why he was "not allowed" to attend her last rites.

Dipke's detention

Dipke was detained by Delhi Police on Saturday, October 10, after arriving at the airport to participate in the protest at Jantar Mantar against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.

Meanwhile, his grandmother, Savitribai Shankar Dipke, passed away on October 10 after a prolonged illness at their native village in Maharashtra's Hingoli district.

Following Dipke's detention, his parents questioned the circumstances surrounding it, saying they had been unable to contact him and were awaiting clarity from the authorities. 

Mother questions detention

Speaking to reporters, his mother questioned his detention at a time when there had been a death in the family.What crime had he committed that he was not even allowed to attend his grandmother's funeral? What crime has he committed? Is he a terrorist or a traitor? The government automatically releases those who do wrong. What wrong had my son done? He was taken away on a plane, yet he was not allowed to attend his grandmother's last rites," she said. 

Anita Dipke further said, "If Abhijeet had been released yesterday, he could have attended his grandmother's last rites today. Now, he will not even be able to see her face one last time."

Delhi Police says Abhijeet Dipke was informed about grandmother's death

Delhi Police has disputed the allegations made by Abhijeet Dipke's family, claiming that the CJP founder was promptly informed about his grandmother's death and offered assistance to travel to his hometown for the funeral.

In a post on X, Delhi Police said, "The information regarding the demise of Abhijeet's grandmother was promptly conveyed to him with due sensitivity. He was also informed of the scheduled funeral time and offered all possible assistance to facilitate his travel to his hometown on humanitarian grounds, however he denied to avail the same."

However, Dipke's mother, Anita Dipke, alleged that the family had been unable to contact him and accused Delhi Police of misleading them about his whereabouts and communication with the family.

Speaking to ANI in Hingoli, Maharashtra, she said, "We have not been able to contact him... Delhi Police is lying. If he got the news (his grandmother's demise), he would have come immediately... we have put the last rites on hold for him."

The conflicting accounts have raised questions about the circumstances surrounding Dipke's detention and whether he was able to communicate with his family following his grandmother's death.

Father alleges police misled family

His father, Bhagwan Dipke, alleged that he had been trying to contact his son to inform him about his grandmother's death but had been unable to reach him.

"We tried contacting him but could not succeed. Delhi Police is lying. If he had received news of his grandmother's demise, he would have come by now. His friends told me that he has been shifted somewhere else; he is not in Delhi," Bhagwan Dipke said.
The Delhi Police claimed that Dipke was promptly informed about his grandmother's death with due sensitivity.

"He was also informed of the scheduled funeral time and offered all possible assistance to facilitate his travel to his hometown on humanitarian grounds, however he denied to avail the same," the police claimed.

Dipke's grandmother's last rites were scheduled for 10 am on Sunday, October 11, reported TOI.

Dipke, as well as CJP leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, were detained by Delhi Police inside their Air India flight shortly after it landed at Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport from Mumbai on Saturday, October 10. They were travelling to participate in the party's planned protest at Jantar Mantar, which had been denied permission by the authorities.