Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke was heckled by a group of people at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport on Wednesday after returning to the national capital from his hometown.
As Dipke exited the airport, a man allegedly called him a “CIA agent”, while another confronted him, asking, “Kyun desh ko kharab kar raha hai?” (Why are you ruining the country?).
Protest at Jantar Mantar
Dipke’s arrival came a day after CJP co-convenors Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka entered the restricted area at Jantar Mantar by climbing over a gate to protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the government. The protest took place after Jantar Mantar was denotified as a designated protest site.
Earlier on Wednesday, Dipke criticised the Narendra Modi government over the arrest of the two party members, who were sent to five days of judicial custody.
Dipke questions activists' arrest
“Is unfurling the Tricolour in this country a crime? Ashutosh and Saurav have been sent to jail for five days. Why? Because they went to Jantar Mantar and unfurled the Tricolour,” he said, drawing a parallel with the British colonial era, when freedom fighters were arrested for displaying the national flag.
Before leaving Nagpur for Delhi, Dipke had accused the government of imposing an “unofficial emergency”, alleging that the activists were detained for waving the Tricolour at Jantar Mantar. He also claimed that the detained members had initially been denied access to their lawyers.
CJP clarifies its political position
Dipke further said the CJP’s campaign against Gyanesh Kumar was aligned with the INDIA bloc’s opposition to the Chief Election Commissioner. However, he clarified that the CJP was an independent pressure group and would retain its separate identity.
The party has accused Kumar of helping the BJP-led government remain in power by manipulating elections. These allegations have not been independently established.
