Delhi Police said on Saturday they informed Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), of his grandmother’s demise, adding that he was offered a choice between continuing his protest in the national capital while in detention and returning to his native town to attend her last rites, claimed a report by news agency ANI.

Citing sources, the ANI report said the development has added a personal dimension to the ongoing agitation involving Dipke, who must now decide whether to leave Delhi to be with his family during the tough hour or remain there and continue with the stir.

Grandmother passes away after prolonged illness

Dipke’s parental grandmother, named Savitribai Shankarrai Dipke, passed away on Saturday at the age of 85 at the family’s ancestral home in Santuk Pimpri village, situated in Maharashtra’s Hingoli district. She took her last breath at around 11:30 am on Saturday after battling a prolonged ailment. As per a report by news agency PTI, she had been unwell for approximately a month and had also undergone treatment at a hospital in Hingoli.

As per the PTI report, her last rites shall be held at 10 am on Sunday. The family has begun preparations for the final ceremonies as news of her death reaches relatives, while Dipke remains under police detention in Delhi amid the ongoing protest.

Kin claim they are unable to contact Dipke

Dipke’s detention in Delhi reportedly resulted in hurdles for his kin to contact him directly following his grandmother’s demise. His cousin said the family had been unable to reach him but had managed to contact his parents, who were en route to Santuk Pimpri to be with their kin.

PTI quoted his cousin as saying, “As Abhijeet Dipke has been detained in the national capital, we could not contact him. But we have contacted his parents, and they are on the way to Santuk Pimpri.” As per the family’s account, Dipke had met his grandmom on at least two occasions, including on August 15 this year, when he had launched the ‘School Thik Karo’ campaign in the Hingoli district.

The campaign marked one of his visits to the region, where he met his grandmother, and her condition deteriorated in the days that followed.

Dipke’s decision awaited amid protest

With Dipke’s grandmother’s last rites slated for Sunday morning, all eyes are now on whether Dipke will return to Maharashtra to join his grieving kin or remain in Delhi. The police’s reported offer has left him with a choice at a deeply personal moment, as his protest and his detention continue to shape the circumstances surrounding his decision.