Delhi Police release video of Dipke declining offer to return home after grandmother's death

Delhi Police on Sunday released a video purportedly showing Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke declining an offer to return to Maharashtra following his grandmother's death, seeking to counter allegations that the authorities had prevented him from attending her funeral while he was in detention.

The video was released amid conflicting claims by the police and Dipke's family over whether he had been informed of the bereavement and given an opportunity to travel home. Police maintained that officers had promptly conveyed the information and offered assistance with travel arrangements and telephone calls, but that Dipke had declined.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Neha Yadav said officers approached Dipke as soon as they received information about his grandmother's death and offered to facilitate his journey to Maharashtra on humanitarian grounds. She said Dipke had also been asked repeatedly whether he wished to speak to his parents, but had declined the offer. The police released the footage to substantiate their account of the interaction.

Family disputes police claims

The police statement followed allegations by Dipke's mother, Anita Dipke, that the authorities had not properly informed her son about his grandmother's death and had failed to facilitate his return for the last rites.

Family members alleged that repeated requests for his release had gone unanswered, leaving him unable to attend the funeral. Dipke's paternal grandmother, Savitribai Shankarrao Dipke, 85, died on Saturday following a prolonged illness in Maharashtra's Hingoli district. Her last rites were performed on Sunday morning.

His uncle, Vilas Dipke, alleged that the family had repeatedly approached the authorities seeking his release in time for the funeral. The Delhi Police rejected the allegations, maintaining that Dipke had been informed of the death and the scheduled funeral time and had been offered assistance to travel home.

CJP leaders raise questions

Addressing reporters on Sunday, CJP co-convenors Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das challenged the police version, alleging that Dipke had been denied permission to speak to his cousin. Ranka also questioned the manner in which the news of the death had been communicated, alleging that police personnel had a camera and microphone present during the interaction.

The competing accounts have led to a fresh controversy over the treatment of the CJP founder during his detention. While the police maintain that Dipke declined the assistance offered to him, his family and party colleagues have questioned whether he was given a meaningful opportunity to contact relatives and make arrangements to attend the funeral.

Detained ahead of protest

Dipke, along with Ranka and Das, was detained on Saturday after an Air India flight carrying them from Mumbai landed at Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi. The three leaders had travelled to the national capital to participate in a CJP demonstration at Jantar Mantar demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.

Delhi Police had denied permission for the gathering, citing procedural requirements and prohibitory orders in force in parts of the capital. The three leaders were subsequently placed under preventive arrest before being released on Sunday after being produced before an executive magistrate. According to the CJP, their release was subject to an undertaking that they would maintain public peace for one year.

Dipke leaves for Maharashtra

Following his release, Dipke said he was returning to Maharashtra to be with his family following his grandmother's death. Speaking to reporters before leaving Delhi, he said Ranka and Das would address a press conference to outline the organisation's future course of action.

The CJP has continued its agitation demanding Kumar's removal, with fresh demonstrations and detentions reported in Delhi on Sunday. The dispute over Dipke's detention and the handling of his family bereavement has added another dimension to the confrontation between the organisation and the Delhi Police, with both sides maintaining sharply different accounts of the circumstances surrounding the incident.