Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke (Img: Pinterest)
New Delhi: Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke is heading back to his village in Maharashtra following the death of his grandmother, Savitribai Dipke, after being released from preventive detention in Delhi. Meanwhile, the party has vowed to continue its campaign, with co-convenors Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka scheduled to address a press conference in the national capital.
Dipke’s release came on Sunday, a day after Delhi Police detained him and two other CJP leaders at Indira Gandhi International Airport ahead of their planned protest at Jantar Mantar against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
According to the latest report, Dipke confirmed that he was returning home to be with his family following his grandmother’s death. The incident had triggered concern among his relatives, who had initially feared that he might be unable to attend her last rites because of his detention.
Savitribai Dipke, 85, died at the family’s ancestral home in Santuk Pimpri village in Maharashtra’s Hingoli district on Saturday. She had reportedly been unwell for more than a month and had received medical treatment in Hingoli.
The death came hours after Dipke was detained upon arriving in Delhi from Mumbai. His family initially said they were unable to contact him and were uncertain whether he would be allowed to return home for the funeral.
Dipke’s mother, Anita Dipke, had expressed concern over the situation, while other family members questioned the circumstances of his detention.
Delhi Police, however, maintained that Dipke had been informed about his grandmother’s death and the scheduled funeral. The police also said assistance had been offered to facilitate his journey home on humanitarian grounds.
Dipke, CJP co-convenor Saurav Das and party leader Ashutosh Ranka were detained at the airport on Saturday as they arrived to participate in the proposed demonstration at Jantar Mantar.
The party had planned the protest to demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Police had denied permission for the demonstration, citing security and law-and-order concerns.
The three leaders were subsequently released by an Executive Magistrate on Sunday. Their release came with a condition that they maintain peace for one year.
The detention drew criticism from the party, which questioned the police action and demanded the release of its leaders.
Despite the detention of its senior leaders, the CJP has indicated that it will continue its campaign. According to the Hindustan Times report, Dipke said the party would not back down and that co-convenors Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka would address a press conference in Delhi.
The party’s campaign centres on allegations concerning the revision of electoral rolls and demands for accountability from the Election Commission. The proposed demonstration had been planned to press for action over the alleged irregularities.
With Dipke returning to Maharashtra following the family tragedy, the upcoming press conference is expected to outline the party’s next steps after the detention of its leadership and the restrictions imposed on its planned protest.
