Abhijeet Dipke, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were detained ahead of the group’s protest demanding the Chief Election Commissioner’s resignation
New Delhi: Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) convener Abhijeet Dipke and co-conveners Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were released by a Delhi court on Sunday, nearly 24 hours after being detained by Delhi Police. Their release came with a condition that they must not breach the peace for one year, according to the group’s legal head.
The three leaders were taken to court on Sunday morning, marking their first public appearance since their detention. Videos later showed them smiling, speaking to supporters and waving at cameras.
The leaders were detained inside an aircraft shortly after it landed at Delhi airport on Saturday. Flight AI 2428 arrived at 10.18 am before being directed to a remote parking bay, where police and Central Industrial Security Force personnel were waiting, according to reports.
Their detention came amid a police crackdown on the CJP’s proposed protest demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Around 7,000 people were detained across Delhi on Saturday, according to the report. Most were released the same day, while the CJP leaders and YouTuber Dhruv Rathee remained in detention longer.
Rathee was released late on Saturday.
Despite the detentions, CJP announced that its agitation would continue on Sunday, even as police maintained security restrictions across New Delhi.
Meanwhile, Dipke’s paternal grandmother, Savitribai Dipke, 85, died at the family’s ancestral home in Maharashtra’s Hingoli district on Saturday. She had reportedly been suffering from age-related ailments. The family had been uncertain whether Dipke would be able to attend her last rites following his detention.
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