A passenger traveling on the same Mumbai-to-Delhi Air India flight shares a firsthand account of how Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke and party leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were taken into custody by Delhi Police right after landing. The CJP had called for an October 10 protest at Jantar Mantar to demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in voter list revisions, prompting widespread speculation about how the party's leadership would reach the capital.
On Saturday, Dipke arrived first at the boarding gate in Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Airport, showing brief concern that Ranka and Das might miss the flight before they arrived. During the transit to the aircraft, Dipke spoke with accompanying journalists, asserting that the administration was frightened and that attempts to block them were aimed at shielding the Chief Election Commissioner. He remarked that authorities could lock down Delhi, but they would still arrive, while noting that various other demonstrators en route to the capital had already been intercepted or picked up from trains.
Once on board, the CJP leaders settled into the front row of the economy section. Immediately after the aircraft touched down at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport, a brief conversation with Dipke revealed his expectation that they would soon be detained alongside others. Shortly afterward, the cabin crew instructed all travelers to remain seated as a team of Delhi Police officers, led by women personnel, boarded the aircraft.
Upon spotting the officers, Dipke initiated a livestream of the confrontation. The police proceeded to take the three leaders into custody one by one, beginning with Ranka, followed by Das, and concluding with Dipke by the window, while the group chanted patriotic slogans as they were led away.
Reactions among the remaining passengers were mixed, with some showing sympathy while others expressed frustration, even criticizing journalists for covering the group. Following the departure of the CJP leaders via a separate tarmac bus, the rest of the passengers disembarked, concluding a dramatic arrival in the capital.