Cockroach Janata Party leaders Sourav Das and Ashutosh Ranka remain confined inside Delhi's Tihar Jail, a situation that recently brought party founder Abhijit Dipke to tears. Going live on Instagram, Dipke opened up about his incarcerated colleagues and grew visibly emotional while remembering them. He made it clear that the tears in his eyes were not born out of any fear, but rather because Sourav and Ashu are currently behind bars, calling both of them his brothers. Dipke admitted that he misses the two leaders immensely, sharing that they even shared a dedicated WhatsApp group where the three of them regularly exchanged memes with one another.
Appealing to Supporters to Return Home and Honor Gandhian Principles
During the live broadcast, Dipke urged the protesters gathered on the ground to return to their homes and families. He emphasized that in order to keep hatred out and fill hearts with pure love, it is essential to stay close to one's family members, prompting him to ask his supporters to look after their loved ones. Explaining the motivation behind their activism, Dipke noted that they are fighting for people who do not even know them personally. He drew parallels to the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi, stating that the civil rights pioneer always taught people to stand up and fight for strangers whenever they are in need of assistance.
Viewing Emotional Strength as Resilience and Continuing the Fight
Addressing critics who might misinterpret his feelings, Dipke stated that while others may mistake emotional depth for weakness, that very sentiment serves as their ultimate strength. He firmly declared that they will not take a step backward in their mission. According to Dipke, when Sourav and Ashu finally walk free, they will step out with the exact same smiles on their faces and continue walking firmly on the path shown by Mahatma Gandhi. He pointed out that despite facing ongoing harassment, the two leaders continue to smile as they enter prisons and attend court hearings. Dipke stressed that nobody will ever succeed in instilling hatred inside them, urging supporters to preserve their love and compassion because losing that compassion would mean a victory for those who use intimidation to silence dissent.
Extension of Custody and Transfer to the Crime Branch
On the legal front, Delhi Police has extended the judicial custody of Sourav Das and Ashutosh Ranka by an additional two days. Authorities have also transferred the unauthorized entry case involving the two leaders to the crime branch on Monday. Initial legal proceedings began at the Connaught Place police station, where an FIR was registered under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections 223A for disobedience to an order duly promulgated by a public servant, 332 for house-trespass in order to commit an offence, and 61(2) for criminal conspiracy.
Additional Charges Filed at Parliament Street Police Station
The legal challenges facing the CJP leaders extend further, as another formal First Information Report was registered against Sourav Das and Ashutosh Ranka at the Parliament Street police station. This separate filing incorporates multiple stringent charges under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including section 221 for voluntarily obstructing a public servant in the discharge of public functions, 115(2) for voluntarily causing hurt, 132 for assault or criminal force to deter a public servant from discharge of duty, 121(1) for voluntarily causing hurt or grievous hurt to deter a public servant from duty, and section 3(5) covering acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention.
