Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), arrived at the Delhi airport from Mumbai alongside associates Ashutosh Ranka and Sourav Das. Upon their arrival, the three leaders were detained by Delhi Police. To avoid physical confrontation, the police deployed female officers to execute the detention, which neutralized the aggressive stance of the protesters. Dipke and his associates surrendered peacefully. The protest they had come to hold at Jantar Mantar, where Indians have gathered for generations to make demands of their government, would take place without them.
The CJP's trip was not a publicity stunt for its own sake. The party had scheduled a demonstration for October 10 at Jantar Mantar to demand the resignation of Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. CJP's grievance centered on allegations of irregularities in the revision of voter lists. CJP wanted Gyanesh Kumar gone before any more revisions proceeded.
By the time the leaders arrived, Delhi Police had decided that the protest would not happen as planned. The justification, officers explained, was preventive: previous CJP demonstrations had resulted in what police described as "mischief," and the force was determined not to repeat the experience. Dipke and his two associates surrendered peacefully. "No, this is not an arrest. Sir, please cooperate," a police officer told him, framing the episode in procedural language even as the activists were being escorted away to separate locations.
Sir, please cooperate," a police officer told him, framing the episode in procedural language even as the activists were being escorted away to separate locations.
The airport was only the beginning. Ratna Singh, the party's legal head, and YouTuber Dhruv Rathee were also reported to be detained as part of a broader police effort to preemptively stop CJP members from reaching the protest site. The detentions were described as preventive, with the party condemning the actions as a violation of freedom of movement and an arbitrary step affecting the freedom of their leaders' voices.
Saurav Das, you are calling CEC Gyanesh Kumar “BJP’s wafadar gaddar” while your own record stinks of anti-India alliances. The country has already seen how you teamed up Umar Khalid, the “bravest” man according to you. The same man who screamed “Kashmir is occupied by India,” The exact slogan PAKISTAN’s propaganda machine runs 24×7. Your “nationalism” is so pure that your nation might as well be Pakistan. You openly called the abrogation of Article 370 “the most egregious form of constitutional violation” and “a grave assault on the Indian Constitution”; even quoted Pakistan’s Chief Justice to attack India’s Supreme Court. Now you’re openly threatening: “Gyanu’s resignation is just the first step.” The protests will continue UNTIL all the demands are accepted.” You’re calling for the “biggest mobilisation of the young generation” from October 10, and dismissing the police with “Who the hell is a police force to ‘appeal’ to citizens?” This exact combination, your open association with Umar Khalid + continuous threats of violence, is precisely why Gyanesh Kumar’s security has been upgraded. And remember, you’re such a spineless wafadar of your real PITAJI Khujliwal that you didn’t even show up in Punjab when students were charged by the police under AAP rule. You’ll magically appear the day BJP forms a government there People of India are not fools, Saurav. They know exactly whose time is up, and it’s not Gyanu’s. Keep barking, the echo chamber is all you’ve got left.
What made the day's events resonate was how Dipke responded to the police. "I have come here to be arrested. Arrest me. I am not afraid of you," he told the officers. Later, he added, "We came to Delhi only to be arrested." He also stated, "I have come to be arrested, you can arrest me," and affirmed, "We are not afraid of arrest." Together, the quotes reframed the airport detention as a confrontation between the party and the state.
The detained leaders were taken to different locations, as the party reported.