Sambhajinagar, October 2026 : The parents of Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke have criticised the Centre following his detention at Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) in New Delhi on Saturday, questioning the treatment of a young activist who was travelling to participate in a protest.
Abhijeet’s father, Bhagwan Dipke, described the incident as unprecedented, alleging that a student seeking to protect democracy had been detained from inside an aircraft.
Questioning the government’s actions, Bhagwan said he had not witnessed similar treatment of major criminals or industrialists who allegedly fled the country with Indian money, while a student raising his voice for democracy had been taken into custody.
Expressing concern over the state of democracy in India, he said, “I don't think democracy still exists in India. Whatever little remains is being completely crushed.”
He alleged that the government wanted to establish “One Nation, One Party” by eliminating other political parties and suppressing those who raised their voices in defence of democracy.
Meanwhile, Abhijeet’s mother, Anita Dipke, expressed anger over the action taken against her son, accusing the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government at the Centre of treating him unfairly.
Anita said she had feared that her son might be arrested and had warned him about the possibility before he left home. However, Abhijeet had reassured her that such a situation would not arise.
Recalling their emotional farewell, she said she had been in tears when he left, but her son tried to comfort her and asked her not to cry, assuring her that whatever happened would ultimately be for the best.
“The government has not done the right thing; what kind of justice is it to arrest young people who work for the country? It feels terrible,” she said.
Anita also expressed dissatisfaction with the government’s approach, saying she was deeply unhappy with the developments surrounding her son’s detention.
Earlier on Saturday, Abhijeet and fellow CJP members Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were detained at IGIA after arriving in Delhi ahead of the party’s proposed protest at Jantar Mantar against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
According to videos shared by Abhijeet on social media, Delhi Police personnel entered the aircraft after it landed and detained the three members inside the flight.
In one video, Abhijeet was heard telling the police, “...I have come here to be arrested; arrest me.”
The incident came amid heightened security in the national capital ahead of the planned demonstration, with police personnel deployed at key locations and checks intensified at entry points.
The detentions prompted criticism from Abhijeet’s parents, who questioned the government’s handling of the matter and expressed concern over the treatment of young people participating in political protests.
