Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke on Tuesday warned that protest sites would emerge across the country if demonstrations were banned at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar.
Dipke said that if police stop him on his way to Delhi, he would begin the agitation from wherever he is detained.
The CJP leader also said he would reach the national capital on Wednesday to join the CJP’s protest demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
He was speaking to the media at his native village Santuk Pimpri in Maharashtra’s Hingoli district, where he had come to attend the asthi visarjan (immersion of one’s ashes – a post-death ritual) of his late grandmother, Savitribai Dipke.
In a standing order issued on October 11, Delhi Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar de-notified Jantar Mantar Road as a designated protest site, naming Ramlila Maidan (Central Delhi), Burari Ground (North Delhi) and CBD Ground (East Delhi) as three new venues for large demonstrations.
On Tuesday morning, the CJP said its leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were detained by police after they reached Jantar Mantar despite heavy barricading and a strong security presence.
Dipke told reporters here that their agitation would continue until Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar resigned.
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He said Jantar Mantar was the soul of protests and accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah of suppressing democratic dissent.
“Narendra Modi has a problem with agitation and not the site of the agitation; he has a problem with the idea of people protesting and these are symptoms of a dictator,” Dipke alleged.
“If they think the protest will stop if Jantar Mantar is denotified as a protest site, then the entire country will turn Jantar Mantar. Jantar Mantar is the spirit of every agitator,” he stated.
Asked where he will protest, Dipke said, “The entire nation will turn Jantar Mantar, and Delhi will turn Jantar Mantar.”
He said his team members were carrying the tricolour (when they were detained in Delhi and if that is illegal, then they are (referring to those in power) “big anti-nationals”.
The CJP’s legal team would approach the court over the detention of Ashutosh Ranka and Sourav Das after they unfurled the national flag at Jantar Mantar, he further said.
Dipke travelled to a farm in the adjacent Kundkar Pimpri village and stayed in a car for some time. Later, while sitting in the car, he said he had spoken to his legal team about it, as he was unable to speak with them while at his home.
Earlier, despite his personal grief, Dipke, after learning about the demise of an elderly Muslim woman in his village, attended her funeral and offered support to the bereaved family.
Earlier in the day, Dipke in a post on X said, “Cockroaches with the Tiranga sneaked into Jantar Mantar early this morning before they were picked up by Delhi Police.”
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He said Ranka, Das and Shinde, along with other team members, have been detained.
“You cannot denotify the resistance,” the CJP founder said, tagging Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Dipke also shared a video showing CJP members jumping over a gate to enter Jantar Mantar and raising slogans like “Bharat Mata ki Jai”.
Police personnel were seen rushing to grab them.
