CJP Leaders Abhijeet Dipke, Saurav Das, and Ashutosh Ranka Detained Inside Flight Ahead of Delhi Protest
CJP leaders Abhijeet Dipke, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were reportedly detained aboard an aircraft ahead of the October 10 protest demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation.
NEW DELHI- On Saturday, 10 October 2026, Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke, along with leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, were detained by Delhi Police from inside their Air India flight shortly after it landed at Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport in Delhi. The trio had arrived from Mumbai around 10:17–10:20 a.m. ahead of the party’s planned protest at Jantar Mantar.
The demonstration was called to demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged voter-list manipulation during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and related changes to Form 6 (used for voter registration).
Delhi Police had denied permission for the protest, citing law-and-order concerns, public safety, and potential inconvenience to residents. Heightened security measures were in place across the capital, including traffic diversions, metro restrictions, and preventive detentions of hundreds of people. Other figures, including YouTuber Dhruv Rathee and CJP legal team head Ratna Singh, were also detained earlier that day from their residences.
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How the Detention Unfolded
A team of Delhi Police personnel—reportedly around a dozen to two dozen officers, predominantly or entirely women constables—boarded the aircraft soon after landing. They informed the leaders that permission for the protest had been denied and took them into preventive custody while they were still inside the plane.
Dipke recorded and livestreamed parts of the interaction (including on Instagram). The leaders and some passengers chanted slogans such as “Inquilab Zindabad” and “Bharat Mata ki Jai.” The three were later taken from the tarmac in a separate bus; police sources indicated they would be held separately, with the exact location not disclosed for security reasons.
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Statements from the CJP Leaders and Party
Abhijeet Dipke was highly vocal during the detention. Key remarks attributed to him in videos and reports include:
“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.”
“Come on, arrest us! We have come here to get arrested. We are not afraid of you. Arrest us!”
“I have come here to get arrested… I am not afraid of you guys.”
“All we wanted to do was a peaceful protest, and they’re picking us from the flight like we’re criminals.”
He questioned why police boarded the plane instead of waiting for them to disembark, asked for senior/male officers to come forward, and inquired about the legal sections that would be applied.
Dipke had earlier indicated he expected and was prepared for arrest, stating variations of “Main kisi se darta nahin hoon” .
The CJP’s official statement condemned the action as an “authoritarian detention” and “pre-planned interception” aimed at crippling the leadership of the planned peaceful demonstrations before the leaders could reach the protest site. The party called it a “blatant violation of freedom of movement,” demanded the “immediate and unconditional release” of Dipke, Das, and Ranka, and posted on X: “🚨 ABHIJEET DIPKE, SAURAV DAS AND ASHUTOSH RANKA DETAINED FROM INSIDE THEIR FLIGHT 🚨 Shame on you @narendramodi @AmitShah.”
Police / Government Position
Delhi Police confirmed the detentions through officers (mostly speaking on condition of anonymity). A senior officer stated that multiple personnel from the Southwest district were deployed at the airport specifically to detain Dipke, Das, Ranka, and other CJP leaders or supporters arriving on various flights; special passes were issued for airport access. The action was described as preventive. In video exchanges, police personnel told Dipke: “No, this is not an arrest. Please cooperate,” and informed the group that their protest request had been denied.
Police sources later indicated the situation in the capital was under control, with limited numbers of protesters gathering intermittently and instructions to maintain order calmly; no violence was reported in early accounts. Broader security steps included restrictions under provisions such as Section 163 of the BNSS in parts of Delhi to prevent unauthorized assemblies.
No detailed formal public statement from a named police spokesperson or the central government beyond these operational confirmations was widely reported in initial coverage; some outlets noted that requests for official comment from airport or senior Delhi Police officials did not immediately receive responses.
The detentions form part of a larger preventive security operation ahead of the unauthorized gathering. The leaders’ current status (as of the latest available reports from the morning/afternoon of 10 October 2026) was that they remained in custody, with the precise holding location not publicly detailed.
