‘I’ve Come to Get Arrested…’: CJP Founder Abhijeet Dipke Detained from Plane in Delhi
Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke was detained by Delhi Police on Saturday after his flight landed in the national capital, ahead of a proposed protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar at Jantar Mantar.
A video recorded inside an Air India aircraft shows women police personnel detaining 30-year-old Dipke along with other CJP leaders, including Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka.
‘I have come here to be arrested. Arrest me. I am not afraid of you,’ Dipke, who was travelling from Mumbai, is heard telling the police in the video.
Responding to him, a police officer says, ‘No, this is not an arrest. Sir, please cooperate.’
Dipke then requests the officers to allow him to carry his bag.
According to sources quoted by NDTV, the three CJP leaders were taken to different locations following their detention. While Dipke was reportedly taken to a detention centre in Gurugram, Das and Ranka were taken to separate locations in Delhi.
CJP Condemns Detentions, Demands Immediate Release
The CJP condemned the detention of its leaders and described the action as a violation of freedom of movement. In a statement, the party demanded their immediate and unconditional release.
The proposed demonstration at Jantar Mantar was called to protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over allegations of manipulation of electoral rolls during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process and changes concerning Form 6, which is used for voter registration.
The allegations concerning electoral rolls remain contested and should be distinguished from any findings formally established by the authorities.
YouTuber Dhruv Rathee, CJP Legal Head Ratna Singh Also Detained
YouTuber Dhruv Rathee, who reportedly travelled to India from Germany to join the CJP leaders at the protest, was also detained on Saturday morning.
The 32-year-old YouTuber, who reportedly has more than 33 million subscribers on YouTube, 19 million followers on Instagram and 3.3 million followers on X, was detained from his residence in Sector 56 of Gurugram.
According to sources, around 50 Delhi Police personnel arrived to detain him.
Meanwhile, CJP legal cell head Ratna Singh also released a video claiming that she had been detained ahead of the demonstration.
In the video, Singh alleged that Delhi Police personnel arrived at her residence in the morning and asked her not to leave. She said that when she sat inside her car, a group of police personnel surrounded the vehicle, although she was subsequently allowed to leave.
‘The cops didn’t give me any reason for detention,’ she said in the video recorded from her car.
Over 400 Detained, Metro Stations Shut and Trains Cancelled
Security arrangements were tightened across the national capital ahead of the proposed protest. According to reports, more than 400 people were detained overnight, while hundreds of trains were cancelled and several metro stations were closed.
The Centre deployed more than 20,000 personnel from the police and the Central Armed Police Forces to maintain law and order.
Delhi Police denied permission for the demonstration, citing the late submission of the application and alleged violations of rules during an earlier protest.
According to the police, the application seeking permission for the demonstration was received on October 7, just three days before the scheduled protest. The police maintained that applications of this nature must be submitted at least 10 days in advance.
As part of the security measures, entry and exit gates at 45 Delhi Metro stations, including Rajiv Chowk, New Delhi, Central Secretariat, Patel Chowk and Kashmere Gate, were to remain closed.
In addition, more than 250 trains arriving from other states at New Delhi and Hazrat Nizamuddin railway stations between 4 am and 2 pm on Saturday, along with several local trains, were reportedly cancelled. Internet services were also suspended for 24 hours within a four-kilometre radius of the Janpath–Kartavya Path crossing.
CJP’s Earlier Protest Against NEET Paper Leak
The CJP, described as a Gen-Z youth protest movement, had earlier organised a sit-in at Jantar Mantar over allegations of a paper leak in the national medical entrance examination.
According to the report, the July protest was followed by the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
The latest detentions have drawn attention to the proposed demonstration against the Chief Election Commissioner and the broader debate surrounding electoral-roll revisions, freedom of movement and the police’s authority to regulate public protests.
While the police have cited procedural grounds for denying permission, the CJP has demanded the release of its leaders and condemned the action taken against them.
