Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke returned to Delhi's Jantar Mantar on Saturday and announced that he had begun an indefinite hunger strike following activist Sonam Wangchuk's removal from the protest site. Dipke arrived with his supporters and said a march would also be held on July 20.
The development comes a day after Wangchuk was shifted to a hospital from the protest venue, where he had been on a prolonged hunger strike.
Addressing supporters at Jantar Mantar, Dipke said he was launching his own fast in response to the events surrounding Wangchuk's removal. He said, "I am starting an indefinite hunger strike beginning right now. I have been beaten up and put under detention by Delhi Police. Delhi Police is cracking down at Jantar Mantar. Beating up people and taking away Sonam sir forcefully."
Dipke had earlier made the same allegation on social media, claiming that police used force against protesters and detained him during the operation.
Speaking to supporters, Dipke alleged that Delhi Police forcibly removed Wangchuk from the protest site and assaulted him when he rushed back to Jantar Mantar after learning about the incident.
"When I stepped out from here at 7 a.m. to freshen up, the police goons arrived there. They dragged Sonam Sar away while hurling abuses at her. A 60-year-old man, who had been on a hunger strike for 20 days, was forcibly dragged away from here by the Delhi Police. We don't know where they have taken him. As soon as I got the news, I was on my way to Jantar Mantar, and the police beat me up too... These are not the police; they are RSS goons. I had returned to my country from abroad; am I some criminal? These people beat me on the streets..."
These allegations have not been independently verified, and Delhi Police had not immediately responded to Dipke's specific claims.
Dipke said he had reached the protest venue with his supporters and announced that a march would be organised on July 20 as part of the ongoing agitation.
The renewed protest follows the removal of Sonam Wangchuk from Jantar Mantar after his hunger strike entered its 21st day. According to Delhi Police, Wangchuk was shifted to a hospital in compliance with directions of the Delhi High Court and based on medical advice regarding his deteriorating health.
Police maintained that the decision was taken to safeguard Wangchuk's health and was not intended to end the protest. However, protesters and CJP leaders have described the action as forceful, alleging that demonstrators at the site were removed during the operation.
