For Abhijeet Dipke, the imprisonment of two of his closest colleagues is a reminder of why the Cockroach Janta Party's (CJP) protests must remain peaceful, even as comparisons are drawn between the movement against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and violent unrest in France, Nepal and Bangladesh.
The CJP founder on Tuesday invoked Mahatma Gandhi's philosophy of satyagraha to defend the movement's commitment to non-violence, saying Sourav Das and Ashutosh Ranka had willingly accepted imprisonment rather than resort to hatred or confrontation.
"Have some shame and see what is happening in India. In India, Sourav Das and Ashutosh went to jail happily. They did not do what is happening in France," Dipke said, rejecting comparisons between the protests in India and the unrest abroad.
He said the two leaders, who have been in jail since October 13, had chosen peace and compassion despite believing they were being wrongfully imprisoned.
"This is not a comparison. But what Mahatma Gandhi did when he was sent to jail, he went quietly because he had a satyagraha. And Ashutosh and Sourav are also doing the same satyagraha," he said.
Dipke maintained that the arrests would not intimidate the movement and expressed confidence that the two would resume their peaceful struggle after their release.
"I am telling you, when Sourav and Ashutosh will come out, they will again come out of jail with the same smile. They will come out of jail and they will again walk on the path of Mahatma Gandhi, of peace and non-violence," he said.
‘We don't have to become what we hate’
Warning supporters against allowing anger to shape their response to the arrests, Dipke said the movement's greatest strength lay in its commitment to compassion.
"We are fighting against hatred; we are fighting against the people who have nothing but hatred in their mind. But we also have to ensure that hatred does not come inside us," he said.
"We don't have to become what we hate," he added, accusing opponents of attempting to provoke protesters into abandoning their peaceful approach.
The CJP and its supporters have been demonstrating against the SIR exercise and demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Das and Ranka were arrested after CJP activists entered Jantar Mantar on October 13, a day after the venue was removed from the list of designated protest sites.
The two were initially remanded to judicial custody for five days, which was extended by another two days on October 19.
Dipke acknowledged that the preceding days had been difficult for volunteers, some of whom he said had faced detention and beatings during the protests.
He stressed, however, that their families were enduring an equally painful experience despite not having chosen to participate in the movement.
"The fight that we are putting up was our decision. But the consequences of that are also coming on our families," he said.
Emotional appeal to supporters during festive season
In a message to supporters, Dipke urged them to spend time with their families during the festive period while remembering the two jailed leaders who could not be with their loved ones.
"For a few days, spend time with your families. Be there with your families, be there with your loved ones," he said.
"Please remember Sourav and Ashu when you are with your families, because they both can't be with their families. So they are our family," he added.
Dipke said he had spoken to the families of both leaders and drawn strength from their response to the arrests.
According to him, Das's mother had reassured him that her son was a fighter and asked him to encourage others to take care of themselves.
Ranka, meanwhile, had been unable to attend a funeral in his family after a relative died during his imprisonment, Dipke said.
Despite the circumstances, Ranka's family had also urged him not to worry about the two leaders.
"The people who should have been weak, they are not weak. In fact, they are the ones who are giving me the strength," he said.
‘Our emotions are not our weakness’
Reflecting on his relationship with the two jailed colleagues, Dipke credited them with playing a central role in organising and advancing the movement.
He said he had largely followed their instructions during the protests and described them as brothers rather than merely political associates.
Recalling criticism directed at Das, Dipke said his colleague had previously been mocked as too privileged or soft to withstand imprisonment, including over his habit of drinking cold coffee during demonstrations.
Yet Das had spent several days in custody and continued to appear in court smiling, he said.
Dipke also spoke about a WhatsApp group the three had used to exchange memes, saying he still opened it to feel connected to his jailed colleagues.
"Our emotions are not our weakness. They are our strength," he said.
He maintained that the movement would continue to draw inspiration from Gandhi and B. R. Ambedkar, placing love, compassion and non-violence at the centre of its campaign.
Reiterating that the arrests would not weaken the protesters' resolve, Dipke urged supporters to remain committed to their cause without neglecting their families.
"We will not back down. It is not that if Sourav and Ashu go to jail, we will be scared," he said.