Signing you in

Listen 00:00 0.5x 0.75x 1x 1.25x 1.5x 2x AI Narration This audio is AI generated.

Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke on Tuesday released a video “message to all cockroaches”, asserting that his jailed colleagues Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were “fighters” and would not be intimidated by their imprisonment.

Dipke asserted that the movement would continue on the path of peace and non-violence.

In a video posted on X and captioned “message to all cockroaches”, Dipke said locking up Das and Ranka would not break them.

“I assure you, when they walk out, they will emerge with the same smiles, chanting ‘Inquilab Zindabad’ (Long Live the Revolution), continuing on Mahatma Gandhi’s path of peace and non-violence, values we deeply believe in,” he said.

Dipke said Das and Ranka were carrying out a form of “Satyagraha” by enduring their time in prison.

“Without wanting to draw direct comparisons, it reflects what Mahatma Gandhi did; when he was sent to jail, he went quietly because it was his Satyagraha. Ashutosh and Sourav are carrying out that exact same Satyagraha. By enduring that pain inside prison, they are awakening the conscience of this country,” he said.

His remarks came after Das and Ranka were sent to Tihar Jail and their judicial custody was extended by two more days by a Special Executive Magistrate court on Monday. They were arrested on October 13 in connection with allegations of trespassing at Jantar Mantar and disturbing the peace.

Dipke urged supporters not to respond to what he described as injustice with hatred, asking them to spend time with their families instead.

“Given what has happened to Sourav and Ashu, I know everyone is troubled; it is bothering me a lot as well. But remember one thing: we do not have to become what we hate,” he said.

He alleged that the actions against the two leaders were intended to provoke the protesters into abandoning their principles.

“What is being done to them is wrong, completely unjust. But they want to divert us from the path of peace, love, and compassion that we chose. They harass us specifically to provoke us, so that we turn into people like them and respond with hate. But we will not do that,” Dipke said.

Dipke also spoke about his conversations with the families of Das and Ranka, saying their resilience had motivated him to continue with the movement.

He praised both leaders for their role in the protests, saying, “To be completely honest, I was merely following their instructions. My role was simply to follow Ashu and Sourav’s lead.”

Referring to Das’ time in custody, Dipke said he had remained resilient and returned to court smiling.

“Just because Sourav and Ashu have been jailed does not mean we will get scared. We will not be intimidated. Why should we be afraid? We are fighting for what is right; we are not doing anything wrong,” he said.

Dipke also criticised comparisons being drawn with protests in other countries and said Das and Ranka had chosen peace despite their imprisonment.

“Even when they knew they were being unlawfully imprisoned, they chose peace and compassion, entering prison with smiles rather than anger or hatred in their hearts,” he said.