CJP protest: Abhijeet Dipke shares video of moment he, his co-convenors were detained inside flight
The CJP said Dipke, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were detained soon after arriving from Mumbai for the party’s proposed protest at Jantar Mantar against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
- Oct 10, 2026,
- Updated Oct 10, 2026 12:24 PM IST
Moments after an Air India flight landed in Delhi, Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke posted a video claiming Delhi Police officers lined up outside the aircraft, boarded it and detained him and his co-convenors. In the Instagram video, Dipke says, “Our plane has just landed. Delhi Police has lined up to arrest us. They’re boarding the plane to arrest us.”
The CJP said Dipke, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were detained soon after arriving from Mumbai for the party’s proposed protest at Jantar Mantar against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The party has alleged voter-list manipulation during the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls and irregularities related to Form 6, used for voter registration, and has demanded Kumar’s resignation.
ALSO READ | 'Shame on you Modi, Shah': CJP as Abhijeet Dipke, Ashutosh Ranka, Saurav Das detained from plane
CJP leaders claim detention inside aircraft
According to the party, police personnel told the three leaders they did not have permission to hold the protest at Jantar Mantar. In another exchange heard in the video, Dipke tells officers who entered the aircraft, “We are here to be arrested, come and arrest us.”
Dipke accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of acting out of fear and said he and the other leaders were being treated like criminals. “This is Narendra Modi’s fear. Picking us up from a flight like we’re criminals. Something like this didn’t happen even under Indira Gandhi,” he said, calling the present regime a “dictatorship”. He also raised the slogan “Inquilab Zindabad”.
In a statement, the CJP condemned the alleged detentions and said they were part of a pre-planned move to stop its leaders from reaching the protest site. The party called the action a violation of freedom of movement and demanded the immediate and unconditional release of the three leaders.
Student activists and lawyers also detained
Several members of the Students’ Federation of India and other student organisations, along with lawyers marching from the Supreme Court towards Jantar Mantar, were also detained on Saturday. SFI national president Adarsh M Saji told PTI that more than 400 members of the organisation were detained after the march began around 10 am.
“The protesters have been detained. We are here to save democracy. This is a fight between autocracy and democracy. This fight is not over. Gyanesh Kumar will be thrown out of his seat,” a protester was heard saying from inside a police bus.
The SFI and the Democratic Youth Federation of India had planned a rally from AK Gopalan Bhawan in Gole Market to Jantar Mantar. Heavy police deployment was seen outside the building.
Several lawyers in formal suits were also stopped on Bhagwan Das Road near the Supreme Court. “We have been detained at the barricades right next to Gate C of the Supreme Court. We were allowed to march for about 100 yards before being stopped. Many of my friends have managed to go ahead,” a lawyer said.
MUST READ | Delhi traffic advisory for October 10: 30 roads to face diversions amid CJP protest
Security tightened across Delhi
The detentions came amid heightened security across the capital. Around 25,000 police and paramilitary personnel were deployed, while entry and exit restrictions were imposed at 45 metro stations. Surveillance was also stepped up at Delhi’s borders, railway stations, bus terminals and other sensitive locations.
Delhi Police had denied permission for the CJP’s proposed demonstration, citing security considerations, inadequate notice and concerns over compliance with rules during an earlier protest. The organisation also said police personnel visited HKS Surjeet Bhawan on Friday night to search for protesters planning to join Saturday’s demonstration. The SFI Central Executive Committee office is also located in the same building, where SFI president Adarsh M Saji, DYFI president A A Rahim, CPI(M) Politburo members Arunkumar and Vijoo Krishnan, and other leaders were present, it said.
Moments after an Air India flight landed in Delhi, Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke posted a video claiming Delhi Police officers lined up outside the aircraft, boarded it and detained him and his co-convenors. In the Instagram video, Dipke says, “Our plane has just landed. Delhi Police has lined up to arrest us. They’re boarding the plane to arrest us.”
The CJP said Dipke, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were detained soon after arriving from Mumbai for the party’s proposed protest at Jantar Mantar against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The party has alleged voter-list manipulation during the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls and irregularities related to Form 6, used for voter registration, and has demanded Kumar’s resignation.
ALSO READ | 'Shame on you Modi, Shah': CJP as Abhijeet Dipke, Ashutosh Ranka, Saurav Das detained from plane
CJP leaders claim detention inside aircraft
According to the party, police personnel told the three leaders they did not have permission to hold the protest at Jantar Mantar. In another exchange heard in the video, Dipke tells officers who entered the aircraft, “We are here to be arrested, come and arrest us.”
Dipke accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of acting out of fear and said he and the other leaders were being treated like criminals. “This is Narendra Modi’s fear. Picking us up from a flight like we’re criminals. Something like this didn’t happen even under Indira Gandhi,” he said, calling the present regime a “dictatorship”. He also raised the slogan “Inquilab Zindabad”.
In a statement, the CJP condemned the alleged detentions and said they were part of a pre-planned move to stop its leaders from reaching the protest site. The party called the action a violation of freedom of movement and demanded the immediate and unconditional release of the three leaders.
Student activists and lawyers also detained
Several members of the Students’ Federation of India and other student organisations, along with lawyers marching from the Supreme Court towards Jantar Mantar, were also detained on Saturday. SFI national president Adarsh M Saji told PTI that more than 400 members of the organisation were detained after the march began around 10 am.
“The protesters have been detained. We are here to save democracy. This is a fight between autocracy and democracy. This fight is not over. Gyanesh Kumar will be thrown out of his seat,” a protester was heard saying from inside a police bus.
The SFI and the Democratic Youth Federation of India had planned a rally from AK Gopalan Bhawan in Gole Market to Jantar Mantar. Heavy police deployment was seen outside the building.
Several lawyers in formal suits were also stopped on Bhagwan Das Road near the Supreme Court. “We have been detained at the barricades right next to Gate C of the Supreme Court. We were allowed to march for about 100 yards before being stopped. Many of my friends have managed to go ahead,” a lawyer said.
MUST READ | Delhi traffic advisory for October 10: 30 roads to face diversions amid CJP protest
Security tightened across Delhi
The detentions came amid heightened security across the capital. Around 25,000 police and paramilitary personnel were deployed, while entry and exit restrictions were imposed at 45 metro stations. Surveillance was also stepped up at Delhi’s borders, railway stations, bus terminals and other sensitive locations.
Delhi Police had denied permission for the CJP’s proposed demonstration, citing security considerations, inadequate notice and concerns over compliance with rules during an earlier protest. The organisation also said police personnel visited HKS Surjeet Bhawan on Friday night to search for protesters planning to join Saturday’s demonstration. The SFI Central Executive Committee office is also located in the same building, where SFI president Adarsh M Saji, DYFI president A A Rahim, CPI(M) Politburo members Arunkumar and Vijoo Krishnan, and other leaders were present, it said.