Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), stated on Sunday that Delhi Police officers withheld access to both his phone and legal counsel during his detention, and characterised the treatment as inhumane and driven by political motives. The allegations were made at a time when Dipke's household was observing mourning for his paternal grandmother, Savitribai Shankarrao Dipke, who had died at the age of 85.
Speaking with reporters following his arrival in Nagpur, Maharashtra, Dipke stated that no bond had been placed before him for signing and that the prospect of arrest held no deterrent effect, inviting authorities to detain him as many times as they saw fit — a hundred times over, in his own words. He told reporters that the detentions would not halt the demonstrations, and that participants intended to return to the streets.
Three individuals associated with the CJP — Dipke, Ashutosh Ranka, and Saurav Das — were released following their appearance before the Executive Magistrate at Delhi Cantt Police Station, as confirmed by Ratna Singh, who heads legal affairs for the organisation. Writing via an X post, Singh outlined the terms attached to the releases, which required those freed to keep the peace for a period of twelve months.
Dipke denied signing any bond. He stated that repeated imprisonment, even across a hundred instances, held no power to instil fear of authoritarian rule among those who spoke out, and pledged to bring the administration's hold on office to a close.
Describing how news of his grandmother's death reached him while he was held in custody, Dipke said Delhi Police officers informed him of the bereavement in person, while access to his cousin in his village and to legal counsel was not made available to him during that period. He stated that he had requested officers allow him a brief phone call — no more than two minutes — to a cousin residing in the village, with the device brought over for that sole purpose, and that when he provided his phone number at their request, it was because they had indicated they were not in a position to bring the device themselves.
Dipke noted that a request to reach his lawyer had also gone unanswered, adding that the law entitled him to make that contact. He contended that access to legal counsel had been withheld by Delhi Police throughout that period.
He also raised a challenge over the decision to have him notify his parents about the arrest, which had taken place in the early hours. Dipke reported that officers directed him, at 3:30 in the morning, to contact his family and inform them he was being held in police custody. He described being roused at that hour and directed to phone his parents — pulling them from sleep — to relay that information, noting that his parents were already dealing with grief over his grandmother's death from health-related complications.
Delhi Police offered a separate account of events. DCP Neha Yadav stated that upon receiving word of the bereavement, officers made contact with Dipke to relay the news of his grandmother's death and to extend whatever logistical and communication support they could arrange. Yadav noted that Dipke had been offered the opportunity to contact his parents on more than one occasion, yet each time chose not to do so. According to Delhi Police, notification of his grandmother's passing was conveyed to Dipke, and an offer of assistance toward travel to his hometown under humanitarian provisions was also extended.
Savitribai Shankarrao Dipke, a resident of Santuk Pimpri village in Hingoli district, Maharashtra, died at the age of 85 following a period of declining health tied to both illness and advancing age. Dipke indicated that a return to his home village, where his family awaited, was his intended destination.
The detentions carried out ahead of the demonstration were linked to a gathering at Jantar Mantar that the CJP had called for on Saturday, where the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar from his post was among the central demands being raised. Authorities responded to the protest by deploying officers in large numbers and taking many attendees into custody.
