CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke’s parents condemn police action, back son’s protest

The parents of Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke have strongly criticised the police action against protesters during the “Chalo Sansad” march in Delhi, saying they stand firmly behind their son’s agitation and will not ask him to withdraw.

Speaking from Maharashtra’s Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar district, Abhijeet’s father, Bhagwan Dipke, said the protest was started independently by his son and that the family would continue to support him.

“He began this protest on his own, and at this stage we cannot ask him to withdraw the agitation,” he said, while expressing concern for his son’s safety following the police crackdown.

Abhijeet’s mother, Anita Dipke, also condemned the use of force against the protesters, questioning why young students were being treated like criminals.

“These students have been peacefully protesting for their future for nearly a month. Instead of listening to their concerns, they were lathi-charged. Watching the videos brought tears to my eyes,” she said.

The comments came a day after police used batons and tear gas to disperse thousands of protesters who attempted to march from Jantar Mantar to Parliament, demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged exam paper leaks and irregularities.

Bhagwan Dipke described the police response as excessive and accused the government of acting with arrogance.

“These were educated, peaceful students who were not involved in violence. The government’s response reflected arrogance and an unwillingness to hear their demands,” he said, adding that the authorities appeared to have provoked the confrontation.

A retired engineer with the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC), he said the family never expected police to resort to a lathi-charge during what they believed was a peaceful demonstration.

Meanwhile, Delhi Police defended its action, alleging that protesters participating in the CJP’s “Chalo Sansad” march became “unruly, aggressive and violent”, attacked security personnel, damaged public property and attempted to breach barricades despite repeated warnings.

Police said more than 118 personnel were injured during the clashes and maintained that force was used only after protesters violated prohibitory orders in place.