Supriya Sule slams detention of CJP founder Dipke at IGI Airport as unconstitutional
Synopsis
Delhi Police boarded a flight at IGI Airport to detain CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke and two colleagues before they could reach Jantar Mantar — a move NCP-SP MP Supriya Sule called 'against the Constitution' and a sign of an 'undeclared Emergency.' With Mamata Banerjee, Arvind Kejriwal, and Pinarayi Vijayan also detained, the crackdown has turned a protest into a national political flashpoint.
Key Takeaways
Delhi Police detained CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke and co-conveners Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka after boarding their flight at IGI Airport on 10 October .
NCP-SP MP Supriya Sule called the detention 'against the Constitution' and warned of a possible 'undeclared Emergency.' Delhi Police had previously denied permission for the CJP protest at Jantar Mantar .
Opposition leaders including Mamata Banerjee , Arvind Kejriwal , and Pinarayi Vijayan were also detained while attempting to join the protest.
The DMRC shut entry and exit at 45 Metro stations ; Indian Railways cancelled and rescheduled multiple trains to New Delhi .
Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) [NCP-SP] MP Supriya Sule on Saturday, 10 October strongly condemned the detention of Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke at Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport in New Delhi, calling the move 'against the Constitution.' Dipke was detained by Delhi Police personnel who boarded the aircraft on which he had travelled from Mumbai to Delhi, hours before the CJP's scheduled protest at Jantar Mantar.
What Happened at IGI Airport
Abhijeet Dipke, along with CJP co-conveners Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, was detained after Delhi Police personnel boarded the flight at IGI Airport. Delhi Police had earlier denied permission for the protest, citing security concerns. The trio had travelled from Mumbai to participate in the demonstration at Jantar Mantar.
What Supriya Sule Said
Speaking to reporters in Mumbai, Sule said: 'I strongly condemn this. A struggle is taking place in this country to uphold constitutional principles within the framework of the Constitution. People were reaching Delhi peacefully... police boarded a plane to arrest them. Tell me, what was the need for that? What was their demand? They only wanted to peacefully go to Jantar Mantar, where thousands of people gather to protest.'
She invoked the legacy of the Constitution's architect, saying: 'This right was given to all of us by Bharat Ratna Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar.' Sule further asserted: 'The way police boarded a plane to detain them in an improper manner is wrong and against the Constitution. The Constitution is being murdered.' She also questioned the crackdown on student voices: 'Children are scared because of all this. This is a democracy and if students want to say something here, what's wrong with it?'
Drawing a charged historical parallel, the NCP-SP leader remarked: 'I feel scared — is there an undeclared Emergency in this country? We all read about the Emergency... that was a long time ago.'
Massive Security Clampdown Across NCR
Security was significantly beefed up across the National Capital Region (NCR), including border areas, ahead of the protests. Indian Railways cancelled and rescheduled several trains bound for New Delhi, while the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) shut entry and exit gates at 45 Metro stations to prevent agitators from reaching Jantar Mantar.
Opposition Leaders Also Detained
The detentions extended well beyond the CJP leadership. Earlier in the day, several prominent opposition figures were also stopped by police while attempting to join the protest. They included former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, and former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. The breadth of detentions — spanning regional satraps and national opposition voices — underscores the political weight the protest had gathered. Notably, this is not the first time Jantar Mantar has become a flashpoint between demonstrators and the administration in recent years; the venue has historically served as India's premier democratic protest space.
What Comes Next
The detentions are likely to intensify opposition pressure on the Centre and the Delhi administration, with civil liberties groups expected to challenge the police action legally. Sule's invocation of a potential 'undeclared Emergency' signals that the political opposition intends to keep this episode in national discourse beyond the weekend.
Point of View
And it is precisely that optics that hands the opposition its strongest argument. The simultaneous detentions of Mamata Banerjee, Arvind Kejriwal, and Pinarayi Vijayan suggest a coordinated administrative decision at a scale that will be difficult to explain away as routine crowd management. Sule's 'undeclared Emergency' framing is politically loaded but strategically deliberate — it connects the day's events to a historical wound that resonates across the electorate. The Centre will need to clearly articulate the legal basis for each detention if it is to avoid the narrative solidifying against it.
NationPress
10 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why was CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke detained?
Abhijeet Dipke was detained by Delhi Police personnel who boarded the aircraft at IGI Airport on which he had flown from Mumbai to Delhi. Delhi Police had earlier denied permission for the CJP's planned protest at Jantar Mantar on 10 October, and the detention was carried out to prevent him from reaching the venue.
What did Supriya Sule say about the detention?
NCP-SP MP Supriya Sule called the detention 'wrong and against the Constitution,' saying 'the Constitution is being murdered.' She questioned the need for police to board a plane to stop peaceful protesters and drew a parallel to the Emergency, asking whether an 'undeclared Emergency' was underway.
Which other leaders were detained during the Jantar Mantar protest?
Former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, AAP national convener and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, and former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan were all detained by police while attempting to join the CJP protest at Jantar Mantar on 10 October.
What security measures were put in place around Jantar Mantar?
Authorities deployed heavy security across the National Capital Region, including border areas. The DMRC shut entry and exit gates at 45 Metro stations, and Indian Railways cancelled and rescheduled several trains bound for New Delhi to prevent agitators from reaching the protest venue.
What is the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)?
The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) is an outfit founded by Abhijeet Dipke, who had organised the Jantar Mantar demonstration along with co-conveners Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka. The party had sought permission from Delhi Police to hold a peaceful protest at Jantar Mantar, which was denied.
