Detained CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke’s grandmother Savitribai dies at 85

Savitribai Shankarrao Dipke, the 85-year-old paternal grandmother of Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke, died following a prolonged illness in Maharashtra’s Hingoli district today. Amid his detention in Delhi, police have informed Dipke about her death and asked whether he wishes to remain in the national capital to continue the protest or return to Maharashtra for her last rites, according to ANI.

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Delhi Police has communicated the news to Dipke, who is currently detained in connection with the CJP’s proposed protest at Jantar Mantar against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. “It is now up to him whether he wants to stay back and continue the protest under detention or fly back for the last rites,” Delhi Police sources told ANI.

Savitribai breathed her last at 11.30 am at her home in Santuk Pimpri village. She had been unwell for around a month and was previously hospitalised in Hingoli, family sources told news agency PTI.

Her last rites are scheduled to be performed at 10 am on Sunday.

Dipke’s cousin said the family had initially been unable to contact him because of his detention in the national capital. The family, however, had contacted his parents, who were travelling to Santuk Pimpri following the news of Savitribai’s death.

“As Abhijeet Dipke has been detained in the national capital, we could not contact him. But we have contacted his parents, and they are on the way to Santuk Pimpri,” his cousin was quoted as saying by PTI.

According to family sources, Dipke had met his grandmother on August 15, when he launched the ‘School Thik Karo’ campaign in Hingoli district. He met her once more afterwards but could not visit her during the last 20 to 25 days of her life.

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CJP leaders detained after arriving in Delhi

The family tragedy comes amid the political controversy surrounding the detention of CJP leaders in Delhi.

The party claimed on Saturday that Dipke, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were detained by Delhi Police from inside their aircraft shortly after it landed in the national capital. The leaders had travelled from Mumbai to participate in a protest at Jantar Mantar against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

The proposed demonstration was linked to the party’s objections over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and alleged irregularities in the exercise.