NEW DELHI: Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke has urged volunteers to spend time with their families during the upcoming festivals, while asking them not to give in to hatred or provocation amid the recent detentions of activists associated with the movement.In a video shared on X, Dipke thanked supporters for standing by one another and said the movement would continue to follow the path of peace, love and compassion. His message came amid the detention of CJP leaders Sourav Das and Ashutosh, whom he described as his brothers.“The past few days have not been easy for us,” Dipke said, recalling his earlier warnings during the movement at Jantar Mantar that the activists could face police action and cases.The video followed Special Executive Magistrate (SEM) Court decision to extend the judicial custody of CJP leaders Saurabh Das and Ashutosh Ranka till October 21. They were produced before the SEM after 5 days of judicial custody on Monday.Dipke, in the video, also acknowledged that several volunteers had allegedly been beaten, detained and subjected to difficulties during detention. However, he said the consequences had also affected their families, who had not chosen to be part of the struggle.“Spend time with your families. Be there with your families, be there with your loved ones,” he urged volunteers, adding that their families would be worried after the events of the past few days.
‘We don’t have to become what we hate’
Emphasising the need to maintain the movement’s commitment to non-violence, Dipke said the difficulties faced by activists should not push them towards hatred.“We are fighting against hatred, we are fighting against the people who have nothing but hatred in their mind. But we also have to ensure that that hatred does not come inside us,” he said.He alleged that the activists were being provoked into abandoning their chosen path of peace and compassion. “We don’t have to become what we hate,” he said, reiterating that the movement would not respond to hatred with hatred.Dipke also said emotions should not be mistaken for weakness, describing love, kindness and compassion as the movement’s biggest strengths.“Our emotions are not our weakness. They are our strength,” he said.
‘We will not back down’
Dipke invoked Mahatma Gandhi and BR Ambedkar while describing the values he said should guide the movement. He said the activists’ response to their detention reflected their commitment to peaceful resistance.
“When Sourav and Ashutosh will come out, they will come out of jail with the slogan of Inquilab Zindabad,” he said.” I want to add one more thing to this. The people who have been doing this and that in France for the past few days, have some shame. Look at what is happening in India. In India, Sourav Das and Ashutosh went to jail with a smile. They did not do what was happening in France. When they knew they were being put in jail in a wrong way, yet they chose peace.”He also appealed to supporters to remember Das and Ashutosh during the festivals, saying the two would be unable to celebrate with their families while in jail.Concluding his message, Dipke thanked volunteers for their support and acknowledged that many had struggled without their experiences receiving public attention.“I know Sourav and Ashu’s stories are in the news. My story is in the news. But there are so many volunteers whose story is not in the news but they have struggled as much as Sourav and Ashu,” he said.