“Why tear gas, lathi charge done only against students?”: CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke slams police action in Jharkhand

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Maharashtra) [India], August 11 (ANI): Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke on Tuesday condemned the police action against student protesters in Jharkhand, comparing the incident to the recent crackdown at Delhi's Jantar Mantar and questioning why "brutality" is reserved specifically for the youth.
Speaking to reporters about the violence during the JSSC-JPSC aspirants' march in Ranchi, Dipke alleged that the use of tear gas and batons against students highlights a disturbing trend in how governments handle non-political agitations.
"Whatever happened in Jharkhand yesterday was very bad. A scene similar to what we witnessed at Jantar Mantar on the 20th was seen in Jharkhand yesterday, where tear gas was deployed, and lathis (batons) were showered on students. I simply don't understand why lathi charges or tear gas are not used when political parties protest. Why are these tear gas and lathi charges being done only against the students?" Dipke questioned.
He expressed deep concern over the condition of student leader Devendra Mahato, who was allegedly assaulted by the police despite being in a weakened state.
"I also spoke with Devendra Mahato ji yesterday, who is leading this movement. He told me that he had been on a hunger strike for 9 days, and even after that, the police used lathis on him. He was beaten up and is now in the hospital, and his current situation is quite concerning," he said.
Dipke urged both state and central administrations to recognise that students are not driven by political motives.
"These students are fighting for their rights and their future; they are not fighting for any vote bank. Therefore, there should not be this kind of lathi charge on them, and this brutality should absolutely not happen," he added.
Responding to questions regarding his physical presence at the protest site, Dipke stated that his focus remains on supporting the movement rather than personal publicity.
"Our job is to empower them, not to go there for self-promotion. Our entire team is present there, and we extend our full support. During yesterday's march as well, our team stood shoulder to shoulder with the students," he clarified.
Meanwhile, the BJP unit of Jharkhand on Tuesday observed a statewide bandh after Jharkhand Police on Monday used lathis and water cannons to control the crowd during the 'Vidhan Sabha gherao' march by Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC) aspirants in Ranchi over alleged irregularities in the JPSC and JSSC-Combined Graduate Level (CGL) examinations.
The protesting aspirants have been demanding cancellation of the JSSC-CGL examination, a CBI probe into alleged irregularities, and reforms in the recruitment process. They have also alleged that their demands have not been fully accepted by the state government. (ANI)