Airport Interception at Terminal 3
Delhi Police boarded an Air India flight from Mumbai after it landed at IGI Airport on October 10. Officers detained Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke, co-convenor Saurav Das and spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka inside the aircraft before passengers disembarked.
On-board Exchange
- Dipke told officers: "Arrest us. We have come here to get arrested. We are not afraid of you."
- He stated the action was something "even Indira Gandhi had not done."
- Police indicated the detention was not a formal arrest and asked for cooperation.
Context of the Call
The leaders were travelling for the planned Jantar Mantar demonstration demanding resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls and Form 6 changes.
Parallel Actions
- Reports of detentions of Dhruv Rathee, Ratna Singh and others at residences or transit points.
- Delhi Police cited prior non-compliance, site capacity limits (~1,000) and public safety for denying permission.
- Metro restrictions affected dozens of stations; traffic diversions and additional force deployed.
- SCBA sought CJI intervention after lawyers were detained near the Supreme Court.
"This pre-planned interception aims to cripple the leadership of today's peaceful demonstrations before they even reach the protest site." — CJP statement
CJP has demanded immediate unconditional release. The demonstration site remains under heavy security.