At a press conference with activist Neha Bora and actor Prakash Raj, Dipke described the police crackdown as a “war against its own citizens” and questioned the Election Commission’s neutrality over the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.
BY PC Bureau
October 15: Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leader Abhijeet Dipke on Thursday accused the Narendra Modi government of unleashing state power against protesters and opposition leaders to protect Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, escalating his attack on the Centre amid the ongoing controversy over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Addressing a press conference alongside activist Neha Bora and actor Prakash Raj, Dipke alleged that demonstrators were being dragged off the streets and political leaders detained for demanding Kumar’s resignation. The press conference followed the remand of CJP leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka to judicial custody in Tihar Jail a day earlier.
“Delhi’s youth and these organisations are out on the streets. Neha has been dragged, Ayesha has been dragged, Vilaaj has been dragged, Isha has been dragged. For whom? To save one Gyanesh Kumar,” Dipke said.
Describing the police response as a “war against its own citizens”, he questioned why the government was deploying such force to defend the head of the Election Commission.
READ: Court Lets CJP Wave Tricolor at Connaught Place Tomorrow
सौरभ दास और आशुतोष रंका को 5 दिन के लिए जेल में नहीं भेजा है बल्कि पूरे हिंदुस्तान के लोगों के वोटिंग अधिकार को आपने जूडिशियल कस्टडी में भेजा है।
: Neha Bora https://t.co/VjuhbQdfAK— Cockroaches of India (@CJP_for_India) October 15, 2026
Dipke questions Election Commission’s neutrality over SIR
Dipke also questioned the Election Commission’s handling of the SIR exercise, alleging that the process had raised serious concerns about the poll body’s neutrality.
Referring to the relatively narrow gap between the NDA and the INDIA bloc in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, he asked why voters should not question whether the revision exercise was being conducted impartially.
Dipke alleged that 13 crore names had been struck off electoral rolls during the SIR process and claimed that he had personally encountered people marked as dead despite being alive.
However, the distinction between voters flagged in draft electoral rolls and names ultimately deleted from the final rolls is important. The figure cited by Dipke should not be treated as the number of confirmed final deletions without verification.
He further alleged that after questions were raised about Kumar’s functioning, the Prime Minister had mobilised the full weight of the government to protect the CEC.
Opposition leaders, activists allegedly targeted
The CJP leader claimed that student activists and opposition leaders, including West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal and Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, had been dragged away or detained.
He also alleged that trains had been cancelled and security personnel brought into Delhi from Naxal-affected regions to contain the protests. Repeatedly questioning the purpose of these measures, Dipke argued that the government’s actions were ultimately aimed at protecting Kumar.
The allegations come amid a widening confrontation over restrictions on anti-SIR demonstrations in the capital, with protesters accusing the authorities of suppressing dissent and the police maintaining that their actions were necessary to manage public order.
‘One Nation, One Party’ jibe at Centre
Taking aim at the BJP-led government’s “One Nation, One Election” proposal, Dipke alleged that the ruling establishment’s real objective was “One Nation, One Party”.
He challenged Modi to impose an Emergency if that was what the government wanted, questioning whether the Prime Minister was concerned about the international reaction such a move would provoke.
The remarks added a sharper political edge to the CJP’s campaign, which has focused on demanding Kumar’s resignation over alleged irregularities in electoral-roll revision and questions about the Election Commission’s conduct.
CJP leaders sent to Tihar Jail
Das, Ranka and Ajinkya Shinde were detained on Tuesday after allegedly crossing police barricades, entering Jantar Mantar and raising slogans demanding Kumar’s removal. They were booked for allegedly obstructing a public official.
A court subsequently remanded Das and Ranka to judicial custody, while Shinde was released on a personal bond, according to CJP legal team head Ratna Singh.
The party has continued to condemn the arrests, while Dipke has broadened his criticism to encompass the Election Commission’s SIR exercise and the Centre’s handling of protests against it.
The allegations made by Dipke at Thursday’s press conference could not be independently verified. The Election Commission and the Centre’s responses to his latest charges were not available at the time of publication.
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