NEW DELHI: The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Saturday accused Delhi Police of playing “petty politics” over founder Abhijeet Dipke’s grandmother’s death, alleging that neither his family nor the party’s lawyers had been informed of his whereabouts after his detention in the national capital.The party’s reaction came after Delhi Police sources said Dipke had been informed of his grandmother’s death and could choose whether to remain in detention and continue the protest or return to Maharashtra for the last rites.“We are stunned by the Delhi Police playing such petty politics around the personal tragedy that Abhijeet Dipke and his family has suffered,” the CJP said in a post on X.“No one from Abhijeet Dipke’s family or CJP lawyers have been informed about his whereabouts,” it added, expressing concern over the safety of Dipke and the two other detained CJP leaders, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka.The party said police should allow Dipke’s family and lawyers to speak to him and “release him IMMEDIATELY”, instead of sharing information with the media.It also accused the Narendra Modi-led government of treating the country’s youth with contempt.
CJP’s post on X
Dipke’s grandmother to be cremated on Sunday
Dipke’s paternal grandmother, Savitribai Shankarrao Dipke, 85, died at her home in Santuk Pimpri village in Maharashtra’s Hingoli district at 11.30am on Saturday after a prolonged illness, family sources told PTI.She had been unwell for about a month and was earlier hospitalised in Hingoli. Her last rites are scheduled for 10am on Sunday.Dipke’s cousin said the family had been unable to contact him because he was detained in Delhi. His parents had been informed and were on their way to the village.The cousin said Dipke had met his grandmother on August 15, when he launched the ‘School Thik Karo’ campaign in Hingoli district, and met her once more afterwards. Family sources said he had not been able to see her in the last 20-25 days.
CJP leaders detained ahead of protest
Dipke, CJP co-convenor Saurav Das and leader Ashutosh Ranka were detained by Delhi Police after arriving in the capital from Mumbai on Saturday for the party’s proposed ‘Jantar Mantar 2.0’ protest.The demonstration was planned to demand chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.Delhi Police had denied permission for the protest, citing public safety, traffic management and law-and-order concerns. Security was tightened across the capital ahead of the planned demonstration.
