Mumbai: Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke on Tuesday alleged that the Maharashtra police was trying to clamp down on his party’s planned protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi next week, to demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and allegations of ‘vote chori’.
Addressing a press conference in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, Dipke alleged that the Maharashtra police was behaving like the Delhi police by serving notices to CJP workers, asking them not to participate in the upcoming protest, and questioning them about the source of funds for their travel to New Delhi. But it is heartbreaking that the Chandrapur police served notices to CJP workers, asking them not to participate in the protest at Jantar Mantar. In one such notice issued to Mayur Malkhede, which Dipke shared with the media, the Ballarpur police stated, “You should not participate in the New Delhi protest without permission. Do not take along violent protestors for the protest, and do not make violent posts on social media platforms or make provocative speeches… Upon violating the formal notice you will have to face preventive or criminal action. Dipke questioned the police’s reference to the possibility of violence in the notices. “In the notice, the police stated that the agitation is going to be violent. How do the police know in advance that the agitation would be violent? Have they planned anything in advance?” he asked. Kindly see the legacy of Maharashtra. He should not insult and misuse the Maharashtra Police for political ambitions.
“Why is Fadnavis saheb trying to be UP CM Yogi Adityanath 2.0?
He shared copies of two such notices issued by the Chandrapur police to CJP workers in the district, referred to the police action as a form of “dictatorship”, and accused chief minister Devendra Fadnavis of potentially “misusing” the police for political ambitions. “I have said multiple times that the Maharashtra Police is the best police force in the country and that the Delhi Police should learn from them. They also asked CJP workers about the source of funds for travelling to Jantar Mantar,” Dipke told reporters. Dipke also said that he could be arrested and was ready for the consequences. “If they want, they should put me behind bars and charge me under UAPA (Unlawful Activities Prevention Act) or NSA (National Security Act),” he said, urging CJP workers to begin their agitation wherever they were detained or arrested.
