CJP chief Dipke alleges mental torture by Delhi Police during detention, says family kept in dark

Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke on Monday accused Delhi Police of subjecting him and his family to mental torture during his detention at Delhi airport, and vowed to continue protests against the Centre’s decision to denotify Jantar Mantar as a designated protest site.

Addressing reporters at his native village of Santuk Pimpri in Maharashtra’s Hingoli district, Dipke alleged that his family and lawyer were kept in the dark about his whereabouts after he was detained from an aircraft at Delhi airport on October 10.

Dipke returned to his village late Sunday night following his release and the death of his grandmother.

“They wanted to stress me out and give tension to my parents, who were already grieving my grandmother’s death. This was mental torture that my family and I faced due to Delhi Police,” he said.

Delhi Police had released a video claiming that the news of his grandmother’s death was conveyed sensitively and that assistance was offered to help him travel home. Dipke, however, alleged that the footage was edited to conceal the police’s conduct and demanded the release of the complete video.

He claimed that police officers asked him to sign arrest papers around 3.30 am and did not allow him to access his phone to retrieve his cousin’s number, despite his request to speak to a family member.

Dipke also alleged that the police did not inform his lawyers about where he was being held. He said he had not signed any undertaking concerning the maintenance of peace and would not sign any document without consulting his lawyer.

His remarks came after Delhi Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar issued an order on October 11 withdrawing Jantar Mantar’s designation as a protest site. The order designated Ramlila Maidan, Burari Ground and CBD Ground in east Delhi as alternative venues for demonstrations.

Reacting to the decision, Dipke said the move would not deter the CJP’s agitation.

“They have removed Jantar Mantar as a designated protest site. Yes, it’s no longer a protest site as anyway it was turned into a war zone by the coward dictator. Ab poora desh Jantar Mantar banega! (Now the entire country will turn into Jantar Mantar!),” he said in a post on X.

He also accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of undermining democratic rights, saying, “Today, Modi denotified Jantar Mantar as a designated protest site. Tomorrow, he will denotify democracy itself.”

The CJP founder questioned why the Centre was protecting Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, whose resignation the party and Opposition leaders have demanded over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

“Youth are being assaulted, journalists are being assaulted, even MPs are being assaulted by Delhi Police. What makes Gyanesh Kumar so indispensable to Modi that he is willing to wage war against everyone just to protect him?” Dipke said.

He also alleged that the deployment of women police personnel during the crackdown was intended to implicate protesters if any untoward incident occurred. He maintained that the CJP would continue its agitation against the government.

After his interaction with the media, Dipke visited the site in his village where his grandmother’s last rites were performed.

Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp

Download the TNIE app to stay with us and follow the latest