On Saturday, Delhi Police informed Abhijeet Dipke, a founder of the Central Janta Party (CJP), of the death of his 85‑year‑old grandmother, Savitribai Shankarrao Dipke. The officers said they gave him the news on humanitarian grounds and offered to help him travel home.
The trio had come to the capital to join a proposed protest at Jantar Mantar against the Chief Election Commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar. Police explained that the detention was because the protest lacked the required permission. While Dipke was in custody, his family initially struggled to reach him. A Delhi Police spokesperson later said, "Abhijeet Dipke was taken into custody given the call for a protest at Jantar Mantar, as permission for this protest was not granted."
They said he had not visited her in the preceding 20‑25 days.
Delhi Police informed him of the news, and it remains uncertain whether he will continue his protest from custody or be allowed to return for the funeral.
Meanwhile, approximately 3,000 people were detained in Delhi on Saturday for trying to reach Jantar Mantar to join the unauthorized protest demanding the resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar. The large‑scale detentions underscored the tension surrounding the planned rally.
In a parallel report, Savitribai Deshpande—the 85‑year‑old grandmother of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) founder Abhijit Deshpande—was said to have died in Santuk Pimpri, Hingoli district, Maharashtra, after a prolonged illness. Her funeral is scheduled for Sunday morning at 10:00 AM. Abhijit Deshpande is currently in police custody in Delhi and has been unable to travel to attend the last rites. Delhi Police informed him of the news, and it remains uncertain whether he will continue his protest from custody or be allowed to return for the funeral. Deshpande had last visited his grandmother 20‑25 days ago after launching the ‘School Thik Karo’ campaign in Hingoli on 15 August. A relative noted that the family has been informed and is traveling to Sangli.
As the weekend unfolds, the detained activists await word on whether they will be released to mourn or must continue their demonstration from behind bars. The grandmother’s death, the mass detentions, and the unresolved protest plans leave many questions about the balance between civic expression and personal grief.