‘Arrest hone he toh aaya hu’: Delhi cops board CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke’s flight in dramatic airport face-off; Watch video

Delhi Police personnel entered the aircraft carrying Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke shortly after it landed at Indira Gandhi International Airport on Saturday, detaining him and his associates Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka.

In the video, Dipke is heard telling the police personnel, “I have come here to be arrested; arrest me.”

“No, this is not an arrest. Please cooperate,” the personnel respond as they speak to him inside the aircraft.


In another video shared by CJP’s official handle, Dipke alleged that the police action amounted to dictatorship and compared it with the Emergency-era actions under former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

CJP Protest Live Updates: Track all the action here

“It was nice to know you all. You can see where the nation is heading. They are here to arrest us directly from the flight. This is something not even Indira Gandhi had done. This is dictatorship where Delhi Police has entered in the flight and trying to arrest,” Dipke said.

The detentions come amid heightened security in the national capital ahead of the CJP’s planned protest at Jantar Mantar against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over allegations relating to voter-list manipulation during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and changes concerning Form 6, used for voter registration.

Delhi Police had denied permission for the proposed demonstration citing a previous breakdown of law and order in the area.

CJP Protest: Other notable detentions

Besides Dipke, CJP co-convenor Saurav Das and party leader Ashutosh Ranka, those detained ahead of the protest included CJP legal head Ratna Singh and YouTuber Dhruv Rathee. The police had detained around 200 protesters, as per the latest update. "The Dictator is TERRIFIED of young people who question its wrongdoings and refuse to stay silent," Rathee said.

The CJP also posted a video of its legal head Ratna Singh who claimed that she was being detained even as she was attempting to leave her home in her car.

In the video, Ratna Singh claims, "They came to my house in the morning and were told that I am not here. We asked for official notification, do they have some? They have nothing. They just said, "We need to detain you, we have orders from above." I don't know which "above" the orders came from for them. And they keep saying, "Get out of the car, we will detain you at your home." They don't even want to take me anywhere else, they want me to stay here only. And I am not getting out of the car. They are not leaving this space, so I am in a way illegally detained on the road."

The detentions come ahead of CJP’s planned demonstration at Jantar Mantar against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and changes concerning Form 6, which is used for voter registration.

Also Read: CJP chief Abhijeet Dipke, Saurav Das, and Ashutosh Ranka detained straight from flight after landing in Delhi

The party had announced its “Chalo Delhi” protest for October 10, demanding Kumar’s resignation and criminal proceedings over the alleged electoral-roll irregularities. Dipke had described the planned demonstration as “Jantar Mantar 2.0”.

CJP had earlier held a protest at Mumbai’s Shivaji Park on October 2, despite police denying permission. The party’s demands included action against Kumar over allegations concerning voter deletions and additions. These are allegations made by CJP and its supporters.

Delhi on high alert

Delhi Police denied permission for the proposed Jantar Mantar demonstration, citing concerns over law and order and possible disruption. The move came amid heightened security arrangements across the capital.

Also Read: Cockroach Janata Party's protest puts Delhi on high alert, with 25,000 personnel, Metro curbs and internet restrictions

Around 25,000 police and paramilitary personnel were deployed, while entry and exit restrictions were imposed at 45 Metro stations. Mobile internet services were also suspended within a 4-km radius of the Janpath-Kartavya Path crossing from 10 pm on Friday to 10 pm on Saturday. Traffic restrictions and train cancellations were announced as part of the security measures.

The authorities had cited concerns over public safety and possible disruption in the capital ahead of the proposed gathering.