Delhi Police Release Video Disputing Claims Over CJP Founder Abhijeet Dipke's Detention
On October 11, Delhi Police released video footage documenting the moment officers informed Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke of his grandmother’s death while he was held in preventive custody. The video shows police officers conveying the news, offering water, and extending travel assistance so that Dipke could attend the last rites in Maharashtra, offers that Dipke declined on camera.
According to the footage, a female officer approached Dipke to inform him that his 85-year-old paternal grandmother, Savitribai Shankarrao Dipke, had died earlier that morning at around 11:30 am in Santuk Pimpri village, located in the Hingoli district of Maharashtra. Male officers present offered Dipke water and informed him that Delhi Police would arrange travel by plane, train, bus, or other transport on humanitarian grounds. Officers also offered to facilitate a call to his family, specifically mentioning his father, but Dipke declined the offers on camera.
Disputed Claims and Family Rebuttals
The release of the video followed public statements from Dipke's family and CJP leaders accusing the police of insensitivity and preventing Dipke from attending the funeral. His mother, Anita Dipke, had publicly claimed that authorities lied about informing her son and asserted that the family was unable to contact him, leading them to temporarily put the last rites on hold.
In response to the video release, Dipke acknowledged that he had been informed of his grandmother’s death while in custody but disputed the police narrative regarding the full interaction. Dipke stated that he repeatedly requested access to his phone to retrieve the contact number of a cousin who lived with his grandmother, as well as permission to call his lawyer, both of which he alleged were denied. He further claimed that the published video omitted his requests for legal counsel and phone access, and alleged that officers brought arrest papers at 3:30 am asking him to call his father regarding potential jail time.
Detention Protocol and Subsequent Release
Delhi Police maintained that standard preventive custody procedures were followed during the interaction. Police officials noted that under preventive detention rules linked to an unauthorized demonstration at Jantar Mantar, contact is restricted to immediate family members, which excludes cousins. Authorities reiterated that humanitarian offers regarding travel and direct parental contact were made and officially recorded.
Dipke, along with Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, was originally detained on October 10 from a flight arriving from Mumbai to Delhi as a preventive measure. On October 11, the three men were produced before a Special Executive Magistrate and released after submitting a surety bond of Rs 50,000 each for maintaining peace for a period of one year. Following his release, Dipke departed Delhi for Maharashtra, though the final rites for his grandmother had already been performed prior to his arrival.
