New Delhi, October 2026 : Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke has handed over the responsibility of leading the outfit’s protest against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar to its Organisation In-Charge, Ajinkya Shinde, following the detention of the party’s core leadership in the national capital on Saturday.
Dipke, along with CJP co-conveners Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, was detained by Delhi Police from an aircraft at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport after it landed. The leaders were travelling to Delhi to participate in the party’s planned demonstration demanding Kumar’s resignation over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Hours after their detention, a pre-recorded video appeared on Dipke’s X account, in which he urged supporters to follow Shinde’s leadership and continue the movement in the absence of the three conveners.
“If you are watching this video, it means that I, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka have been arrested. In our absence, Ajinkya will lead the protest and the CJP movement,” Dipke said in the video.
He appealed to supporters to stand behind Shinde, adding that he would carry forward the party’s activities in the absence of its senior leadership.
Earlier, Delhi Police personnel reportedly entered the aircraft after it arrived at IGI Airport and detained the three CJP leaders. A video shared by Dipke on social media showed police officers entering the flight.
In the footage, Dipke was heard challenging the officers, saying, “I have come here to be arrested; arrest me.”
The CJP subsequently announced the detentions through a post on its social media account, naming Dipke, Das and Ranka as having been taken into custody.
Social media influencer Dhruv Rathee was also reportedly detained at his residence in Gurugram. According to a post on the CJP’s X account, around 50 police personnel in plain clothes arrived at his residence at approximately 8 a.m. and took him into preventive custody.
Meanwhile, Delhi Police officials said around 1,000 protesters had been detained from different parts of the national capital while attempting to reach the proposed protest venue. The demonstration was organised to demand the CEC’s resignation over allegations concerning the electoral-roll revision exercise.
In a separate development, Dipke’s grandmother passed away on Saturday at Santuk Pimpri village in Maharashtra’s Hingoli district. She had reportedly been suffering from a prolonged illness and age-related ailments for several days.
According to Delhi Police, Dipke has been informed about his grandmother’s demise. Officials said the decision on whether he would remain in detention in connection with the protest or return to his village to attend the last rites rested with him.
The detention of the CJP’s top leadership has placed Shinde at the forefront of the organisation’s planned agitation, as supporters face uncertainty over the next course of the protest.
