New Delhi, Oct 10:
Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke has entrusted the leadership of the party’s planned protest in Delhi to Ajinkya Shinde after he and two senior associates were detained by the Delhi Police upon arriving in the national capital on Saturday.
Dipke, along with CJP members Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, was taken into custody from the aircraft in which they had travelled from Mumbai. The three had arrived in Delhi to lead a demonstration at Jantar Mantar demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Anticipating possible police action, Dipke had recorded a video the previous night, announcing that Shinde would lead the protest and the party’s activities if he and his colleagues were detained. The video was subsequently shared on the CJP’s X account.
“If you are watching this video, it means that I, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka have been arrested. In our absence, Ajinkya will lead the protest and the CJP movement. Please follow him,” Dipke said in the recording.
Shinde, who hails from Maharashtra, has worked closely with Dipke for several years. He previously served as a social media coordinator for the Aam Aadmi Party’s Maharashtra unit and reportedly met Dipke for the first time in Goa in 2016. Shinde had also left his corporate job to work full-time for the AAP, including during its political activities in Goa.
The CJP protest seeks the resignation of Gyanesh Kumar over allegations concerning the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and changes relating to Form 6, which is used for voter registration. The party has accused the authorities of attempting to prevent its leaders from reaching the protest venue and demanded their immediate release.
Delhi Police had denied permission for the proposed demonstration, citing the late submission of the request. The detentions came amid heightened security arrangements across the capital and efforts to prevent unauthorised gatherings near Jantar Mantar.