Abhijeet Dipke Alleges BJP Workers Attacking Delhi Police, Demanded Equal Treatment For Injured Student Protesters

Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke on Friday said that he has been concerned about the injuries suffered by the Delhi Police staff during the Jantar Mantar protest and appealed to the authorities and people to remember the students who were assaulted by the police during the incident. He made the comments following injured police officers’ families’ press conference and demands for the police’s hardships to be recognised.

Dipke also claimed that the assault on police officers was not by student protesters. Rather, he said that persons associated with the BJP have intentionally entered the protest to instigate unrest and tarnish the image of the protest movement. He said he had repeatedly warned since the beginning that such attempts were bound to be made to dislodge the demonstrations.

“This was done by BJP goons. I have been saying since day one that the BJP will send its goons to create disruptions. They have done exactly that. I feel sorry that the police officers were targeted by the same people who were carrying out these actions, he clarified.

In response to the press, Dipke stated that he empathised with the police personnel that were injured during the clashes. But he wondered why the plight of students who allegedly faced beatings while protesting were not being discussed as much. The pain of both sides must be acknowledged and both parties must be treated fairly,

“Habitual offenders must be dealt with according to the law. They are using those habitual offenders to target students. People in Bihar did not do anything in Delhi. People in Mumbai did not do anything in Delhi…There is a conspiracy to target students, and this is being done to threaten them that they should not dare to question the government or come out in protest again,” he said.

The CJP leader also claimed that innocent students were being targeted, and that those who were responsible for the offences were not held accountable. He said there was a more general effort to scare away youth from taking part in protests or challenging the government in the future.

In a similar case, Lawyer-turned CJP spokesperson Ratna Singh said that the families of injured protesters also had a right to come out in the open to share their experiences, citing concerns to the same effect. She said hundreds of protesters were injured during the police operation, with some being injured by tear gas and lathi charges, and there were some cases of serious physical injuries to protesters, including women.

Meanwhile, the families of Delhi Police officers who were injured after the protest at Jantar Mantar in July released the statements in the presence of the CJP leaders at a press conference. Members of the family said a number of officers were attacked during their work, and noted that the sacrifices of officers had been overshadowed by the charges of police excesses against protesters. One family member has reported that her father, a sub-inspector of the Delhi Police was dragged by a violent mob, left unconscious and hospitalised after the incident.

The controversy has been over the 37-day protest by the CJP at Jantar Mantar which called for the resignation of then Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Violent clashes between protesters and police were seen during the march on July 20, when both sides had harsh words to say about the use of force and the instances that occurred during the march.