Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) activist Abhijeet Dipke on Tuesday rejected comparisons between protests in India and political upheavals in France, asserting that jailed activists Sourav Das and Ashutosh Ranka had upheld Gandhian principles of non-violence through their peaceful conduct.
In a video statement posted on X, Dipke defended the activists, saying their decision to face imprisonment without anger or hatred demonstrated the movement’s commitment to Satyagraha rather than violent agitation.
Responding to critics drawing parallels with unrest in France and regime-change movements in neighbouring countries, Dipke urged them to focus on the conduct of the Indian activists.
“Look at what is happening right here in India. Sourav Das and Ashutosh went to jail with smiles on their faces. Even when they knew they were being unlawfully imprisoned, they chose peace and compassion rather than anger or hatred,” he said.
Rejecting attempts to equate domestic protests with violent political upheavals abroad, Dipke said the activists continued to embody Gandhian values despite their imprisonment.
“They went to jail smiling, without being provoked. They continue to embody Gandhian values, smiling on their way to jail and inside the courtroom,” he said, accusing their critics of allowing hatred to shape their views.
Dipke described the activists’ imprisonment as a form of Satyagraha that could awaken public conscience, drawing a parallel with Mahatma Gandhi’s role in India’s freedom struggle.
Without directly equating the circumstances, he said Das and Ranka were following Gandhi’s path by enduring imprisonment peacefully rather than resorting to violence.
He also asserted that detention would neither weaken the activists’ resolve nor push the movement towards violence.
“If anyone thinks locking Sourav and Ashutosh up will intimidate or break them, that is never going to happen,” Dipke said, expressing confidence that they would continue their peaceful campaign after their release, raising slogans of “Inquilab Zindabad”.
The judicial custody of Das and Ranka was extended by two days after their initial five-day remand ended on Monday. Their lawyers said they were taken back into judicial custody from Mandir Marg Police Station in Delhi after their surety was rejected over an alleged discrepancy in the documents. The Special Executive Magistrate’s court at the police station extended their custody until October 21.
Meanwhile, a Fox News Digital investigation published on October 9 identified 50 organisations allegedly associated with France’s student protest movement and its wider support network. The report alleged that communist, socialist and far-left groups were using demonstrations over school conditions to advance broader political and ideological agendas.
The Congress has strongly rejected attempts to link opposition protests against the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise with violent unrest in France and other European countries. It has maintained that its campaign is peaceful, constitutional and focused on ensuring free and fair elections.
The controversy intensified after the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alleged that “anti-India gangs” were conspiring to orchestrate regime change in India along the lines of recent upheavals in Bangladesh and France. - ANI
