New Delhi: A day after Delhi turned into a fortress to stop the protest against the SIR at Jantar Mantar, some restrictions were eased for commuters Sunday. Entry/exit at metro stations was reopened and interned in central Delhi restarted. However, multiple FIRs, detentions and fresh demonstrations continued.Police and Abhijeet Dipke also traded charges regarding when the CJP founder was informed about his grandmother’s death and the police’s conduct during his detention.Police sources said more than 20 FIRs were registered in connection with Saturday’s protest for alleged violations of Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), for obstructing public servants in the discharge of their duties, assaulting police personnel and other offences.While police sources put the number of protesters detained at 400, other accounts claimed that over 700 people had been detained.Protests and marches continued at several locations, including Connaught Place and RK Ashram Marg, with demonstrators demanding the resignation of chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Police personnel remained deployed across sensitive areas to prevent gatherings and maintain law and order.In a relief to CJP’s three leading faces, an executive magistrate court ordered the release of Dipke, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, who were placed under preventive arrest after arriving in the capital Saturday. They were released after an undertaking that they would not cause any “breach of peace” for a year.Dipke later rejected claims that he had signed any agreement. He said the outfit would continue its demonstrations against the CEC.Dipke spoke to the media in Nagpur Sunday evening after arriving on a flight from New Delhi, before leaving by road in a car for his hometown in Hingoli district following the death of his grandmother.In Delhi, Dipke visited advocate Kapil Sibal’s house after being released by police. He alleged that after being detained at IGI Airport, he was not allowed to use his phone, contact his lawyer or speak to his cousin after learning about his grandmother’s death.“Delhi police woke me up at 3.30am today and asked me to call my parents and tell them that I had been arrested. My family is already mourning, and this would have been a bigger blow to them. It was very heartless behaviour,” he said.Delhi Police, meanwhile, released a video Sunday showing an officer informing Dipke about his grandmother’s death. A senior police officer said he had been informed around 2pm.In the video, the officer expressed condolences and offered to arrange for transport, including a bus or flight, if Dipke wished to attend the funeral. Dipke repeatedly responded, “I’ll stay,” when asked whether he wanted to leave.The officer also offered to facilitate a call with a family member through an official police number. When asked about speaking to his father, Dipke said he would not be able to speak to him.At one point, Dipke said, “Funeral kara do. Aaj hi kar do (Just arrange the funeral. Do it today).” The officer replied that the funeral had been scheduled for the following day and assured him that the police would try to facilitate any arrangements he needed.Dipke remained firm in his decision on not leaving. The officer told him he could inform the police if he changed his mind.In response to the video shared by the cops, Dipke posted on X: “Why did you delete the part where I was asking for my phone so I could retrieve my cousin’s number? And where I was asking to let me speak to my lawyers? The same Delhi Police, which is now taking the moral high ground for informing me about my grandmother’s demise and offering me a ride home, came to me at 3.30 in the morning with arrest papers, demanding that I sign them. Where did all that humanity go at 3.30am? Despite knowing that I had just lost my grandmother, they still insisted that I sign the arrest papers. I refused until I was allowed to speak to my lawyers.”
