Abhijeet Deepke, the founder of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), has been detained after a fellow passenger said they were uncomfortable with the inconvenience caused on the flight.
The passenger said travellers had to wait even after the aircraft landed and slogans of “Inquilab Zindabad” could be heard from the front section of the plane. The passenger asked whether protesting was a good thing to do, in the name of inconvenience to ordinary travellers as well as the political or public concern that the people of India should have.
The incident took place on a flight from Mumbai to Delhi, where Deepke was taken into police custody after the plane had landed, the official said. However, the passenger’s account has added another dimension to the story as it was passengers who were travelling for other reasons than the protest.
In the video shared by ANI, the passenger said that the aircraft had landed but passengers on board were waiting too. The passenger also mentioned slogans being raised from the front of the aircraft and they did not know who Abhijeet Deepke was. Their comments were a reflection of their frustration at being caught up in a political situation and protest when they were just trying to make their way back from there.
The passenger also referred to a protest that continued for 36 days and wondered if demonstrations should never cause problems for the public again. People may have genuine grievances, the passenger said, but causing inconveniences shouldn’t be part of the process of expressing those concerns. The comments revived the debate about the right to protest and how to avoid that kind of disruption to ordinary citizens.
The passenger also said complaints about names being removed from electoral rolls should be resolved through legal and institutional channels. They said if voters were wrongfully removed from the electoral list the Supreme Court would look into it. The passenger questioned whether public demonstrations could be the right way to settle disputes when courts and procedures were available.
The matter raises a larger question of how citizens can express their grievances while respecting others’ rights. Peaceful protest is a key part of a democratic society because people feel free to express their opinions on government decisions, public policy and alleged irregularities.
At the same time, demonstrations can be problematic when they interfere with transport, public services or the movement of people who are not interacting with them. The circumstances of each incident are important and there is no available account that is independent of the overall situation on board the flight.
Air travel is particularly vulnerable to delays and unwanted interruptions when there are flights that need to be delayed or disrupted because passengers have connecting flights, work commitments, medical appointments or other time-sensitive duties.
Even a very short wait can cause stress, particularly if travellers are not given clear information about what is happening. That is why the co-passenger’s account of the detention has received more attention than what happened to the detention itself.
The incident also shows we need clear communication from the authorities if a police operation starts in a public setting. With information about the reason for a detention, any appropriate legal procedure and the arrangements made for other passengers, it is better to avoid confusion and speculation.
The passenger’s account of the incident should be considered separate from the passenger’s personal account until more is known.
#WATCH | Delhi Police personnel enter the aircraft that was carrying Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) Founder Abhijeet Dipke to Delhi. The flight landed at IGI Airport a few minutes ago. "...I have come here to be arrested; arrest me," Abhijeet Dipke tells Delhi Police "No, this is not an arrest. Please cooperate," Delhi Police personnel tell him.
— ANI (@ANI) October 10, 2026
Abhijeet Deepke’s detention and an audience response by a fellow passenger have now made protest methods, public inconvenience and the use of legal remedies an important conversation.
Citizens do have the right to express their concerns and to take responsibility for them, but this episode shows that what happens to those who are not involved in the process of protest is also really important. But we have no immediate information about what happened when the flight came to Delhi and what happened.
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