Dipke’s family claims Delhi police delayed release, causing him to miss grandmother’s funeral

The family of Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) convenor Abhijeet Dipke on Sunday alleged that the Delhi Police did not release him despite repeated pleas so he could attend his grandmother’s funeral.

Dipke, along with CJP leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, was detained and later placed under preventive arrest by the Delhi police ahead of the outfit’s protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar in the national capital on Saturday. The trio was produced before the executive magistrate on Sunday and released on condition that they would not “breach peace” for a year.

The CJP founder’s paternal grandmother Savitribai Shankarrao Dipke (85) passed away in Maharashtra’s Hingoli district on Saturday following a prolonged illness and her last rites were held on Sunday morning.

“We requested the Delhi police multiple times to release Abhijeet after he lost his grandmother, but they did not release him,” a family member told reporters before the funeral.

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The Delhi police, in a post on X on Saturday, claimed that Abhijeet was immediately informed about his grandmother’s death and her funeral timings, and they had offered all possible facilitation for his journey to his hometown.

Rejecting the claims, Abhijeet’s uncle Vilas Dipke alleged, “I pleaded with the Delhi police with folded hands at least 10 times to release Abhijeet so he could attend the funeral, as we were waiting for him. Though he was eventually released today, it was too late for him to attend.”

Vilas said his nephew would at least be able to remain present to collect his grandmother’s ashes.

The CJP has renewed its call for a protest at Jantar Mantar on Sunday as police continued their heavy security arrangements, with over 30,000 police and paramilitary personnel to be deployed in the capital.

The CJP and opposition parties have been demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision of voter rolls.