‘Grandmother's rites on hold': Abhijeet Dipke's mother claims Delhi Police is lying over giving him the news

NEW DELHI: The mother of Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke, Anita Dipke, on Sunday accused Delhi Police of lying about informing her son of his grandmother’s death, saying the family had been unable to contact him and had postponed the last rites until he could return.“We have not been able to contact him...Delhi Police is lying. If he got the news (his grandmother's demise), he would have come immediately...we have put the last rites on hold for him...” Anita Dipke said.Delhi Police had earlier said it informed Dipke about his grandmother’s death while he remained in detention in the national capital ahead of the party’s proposed protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.“It is now up to him whether he wants to stay back and continue the protest under detention or fly back for the last rites,” Delhi Police sources told news agency ANI on Saturday.Dipke’s paternal grandmother, Savitribai Shankarrao Dipke, 85, died at her home in Santuk Pimpri village in Maharashtra’s Hingoli district at 11.30 am on Saturday following a prolonged illness, family sources told PTI. She had been unwell for about a month and was previously hospitalised in Hingoli. Her last rites were scheduled for 10 am on Sunday.An Executive Magistrate has ordered the release of CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, co-convenor Saurav Das and party leader Ashutosh Ranka following their preventive detention by Delhi Police on Saturday.The three were detained after arriving in the national capital from Mumbai to participate in the party’s proposed ‘Jantar Mantar 2.0’ protest, which sought the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.Delhi Police had denied permission for the demonstration, citing public safety, traffic management and law-and-order concerns. Security was subsequently tightened across the capital ahead of the planned protest.Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.