The Delhi Police has informed Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke about the death of his grandmother in Maharashtra and offered possible facilitation for his journey to his hometown on humanitarian grounds, an official statement said on Saturday (October 10).
Dipke’s paternal grandmother, Savitribai Shankarrao Dipke, 85, died at her home in Santuk Pimpri village in Maharashtra’s Hingoli district around 11.30 am on Saturday following a prolonged illness, family sources said. Her last rites will be performed at 10 am on Sunday (October 11), they said.
Dipke, along with CJP leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, was detained by the Delhi Police at the airport upon their arrival from Mumbai for the proposed protest at Jantar Mantar against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Delhi Police statement
The Delhi Police, in its statement, said, “Abhijeet Dipke was detained in view of a protest call given by Cockroach Janta Party at Jantar Mantar, which was not permitted. During the day, an unfortunate information was received regarding the death of the grandmother of Abhijeet Dipke. The information was immediately shared with him with due sensitivity, and the known time of the funeral was intimated to him. He was also offered possible facilitation for his journey to his hometown on humanitarian grounds.”
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Now Abhijeet must decide whether to remain in Delhi for the protests or leave for his hometown to attend his grandmother’s last rites, sources said.
The CJP said that the three leaders were detained from inside the aircraft soon after it landed in the national capital.
Abhijeet’s parents question his detention
A cousin of Dipke said the family initially couldn’t contact him because he was detained in Delhi. The cousin said his parents had been informed and were on their way to the village.
His parents, Bhagwanrao and Anita Dipke, have reportedly questioned his detention by the police from the plane at the Delhi airport, and wholeheartedly support their son and the CJP’s protest calling for the CEC’s resignation.
Dipke had met his grandmother on August 15, when he launched the “School Thik Karo” campaign in Hingoli district, and had met her once more after that, family sources said. He had not been able to see her in the last 20-25 days, they added.
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Meanwhile, police detained nearly 1,000 people on Saturday as protesters attempted to reach Jantar Mantar despite heavy security deployment across the New Delhi district. The demonstration was called to press for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, but police had denied permission and imposed prohibitory orders in the area.
(With agency inputs)