New Delhi, Oct 2026 : Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke on Thursday accused the BJP-led Central government of using the police and administrative machinery to protect Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, alleging that the crackdown on protests held on October 10 was aimed at shielding the poll chief.
Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, Dipke claimed that the government had intensified its actions following media reports about alleged differences within the Election Commission. He said student organisations, young people and activists had been protesting on the streets of the national capital, only to face police action.
“Since the media report claiming differences within the poll panel was published, the government has been using all its system and machinery to protect Gyanesh Kumar,” Dipke said, alleging that protesters were being dragged along the roads to protect one individual.
He also claimed that Opposition leaders had not been spared during the crackdown. Referring to Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and former chief ministers Mamata Banerjee, Arvind Kejriwal and Pinarayi Vijayan, Dipke alleged that they had been detained as part of efforts to protect the CEC.
Criticising the security arrangements in Delhi during the October 10 protests led by his party, Dipke claimed that restrictions had disrupted public transport, including railway services and the Metro. He also alleged that additional security personnel had been brought in from Jammu and Kashmir.
“Not satisfied with shutting down the Railways, they shut down the Metro and closed Metro stations across Delhi. For whom? For Gyanesh Kumar,” he said.
Dipke further alleged that the government had turned the national capital into a heavily secured zone, comparing the arrangements to security measures along the India-Pakistan border.
He raised concerns over the judicial custody of CJP leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, alleging that their detention was linked to the protest. He claimed that unfurling the national flag had been treated as a violation of the law and questioned the circumstances surrounding their arrests.
“Why is Gyanesh Kumar so important to Narendra Modi? If he is not helping the BJP to win elections, why is Narendra Modi providing him with so much protection?” Dipke asked, making allegations against the government and the poll chief.
The CJP founder also criticised the BJP's political slogan of ‘One Nation, One Election’, arguing that the government's actual objective was to establish a one-party system. He accused the authorities of suppressing dissent and said that, if student leaders, activists and Opposition representatives continued to face detention, the government should formally declare an Emergency.
Dipke reiterated his call for a ‘Tiranga Assembly’, scheduled for 5 p.m. on Friday at Central Park in Connaught Place, New Delhi. The proposed gathering aims to protest the arrests of CJP co-conveners Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka and highlight the importance of protecting democratic rights.
He appealed to political parties, civil society organisations, labour unions and farmers' unions to participate in the gathering, setting aside their political differences.
“We have to come together to save our democracy. If our vote is protected, only then will democracy be saved. Ashutosh and Saurav have been jailed for waving the Tricolour. Waving the National Flag cannot be a crime,” Dipke said.
Emphasising the symbolic importance of the national flag, he added that nothing was more important than the Tricolour and asserted that the CEC should not be placed above it.
The press conference was also addressed by All India Students' Association (AISA) National President Neha Bora, former Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union president Aishe Ghosh, senior advocate Prashant Bhushan, actor Prakash Raj and others.
The allegations made by Dipke and other speakers formed the central theme of the briefing, which called for opposition to the arrests and greater protection of democratic rights. The proposed ‘Tiranga Assembly’ is expected to bring together political and civil society representatives in support of the campaign.
(Disclaimer :The content of this article is sourced from a news agency and has not been edited by the Mavericknews30 team.)
