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Abhijeet Dipke with his mother Anita Dipke and father Bhagwan Shankar Dipke during a visit home in June (Express photo).
Even as their son has emerged as the face of a national youth movement, the parents of Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), are being swamped with marriage proposals for him. While his mother hopes to see him married by December or January, the family has left the final decision on the date and month to the 30-year-old activist.
“We were receiving marriage proposals for Abhijeet even before the CJP protest against NEET paper leak started, and they continue to come in,” his mother Anita Dipke told The Indian Express.
She recalled discussing the topic with Abhijeet over the phone while he was in Boston. “He didn’t say much about it; he just smiled. As parents, we have been pursuing him to get married, but when he returns home in a few days, we will bring up the subject again and let him take the final call,” she added.
Abhijeet was scheduled to return home shortly after the recent agitation concluded following the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, but postponed his travel after contracting typhoid. “We now learn it will take another four to five days for him to return,” his mother said.
Family forced into hiding following threats
The family said they were forced into hiding for nearly two weeks shortly after Abhijeet announced the launch of the Cockroach Janta Party.
“After he launched the party, Abhijeet began receiving threats in Boston. Callers threatened that since he was in Boston, they would target his parents in India,” Anita Dipke said.
“Abhijeet called us immediately and urged us to relocate. We moved to Konkan and stayed with relatives for a fortnight. When he returned from Boston in the first week of June, we went to receive him.” The family currently resides in the Waluj area of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar.
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Anita Dipke added that Abhijeet had kept his political plans quiet at home. “He never told us about his plan to launch the Cockroach party. We learned everything through news channels when we saw his interviews,” she said.
‘A quiet boy who became an orator’
Recalling his childhood, Anita expressed surprise at her son’s public speaking abilities on television. “At home, he hardly spoke. Apart from asking for meals or basic necessities, he rarely held long conversations or spoke about anything else. He never participated in elocution or debate contests in school,” she said.
“He was always a quiet boy. We rarely saw him lose his temper or raise his voice. Seeing him speak three languages with ease on national TV was surprising.” On his compassionate side, she recalled his efforts during the Covid-19 pandemic to support around 15 homeless Adivasi families.
“He offered them space in our parking area and arranged all their provisions using ration we provided. They stayed in our parking area for days,” she recalled. “His father worried that our son would exhaust our savings, but Abhijeet insisted that serving those families was a humanitarian duty. He has always had a caring nature, which helped him unite everyone in Delhi.”
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Academic journey and physical attacks
While Abhijeet was an above-average student who scored 96 per cent in Class 10 at St Alphonsa School and studied at SB College in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, his family regrets pushing him towards engineering.
After scoring 65 per cent in Class 12 science, his parents insisted he pursue engineering, given that his father is a civil engineer. He enrolled at the Sinhgad Institutes in Pune but struggled to adapt and left before appearing for his final examinations. “We realised forcing him into engineering was a wrong decision and allowed him to exit the field,” his mother said.
The family also expressed worries over physical attacks targeting Abhijeet during the recent protests. “When I learned he was slapped and had ink thrown on him, I cried and worried if he was badly hurt,” his mother recalled.
“When I spoke to him, he told us not to worry, saying he now belonged to the nation as public property.”
Manoj Dattatrye More is a Senior Editor at The Indian Express, having been with the publication since 1992. Based in Pune, he is a veteran journalist with a 33-year career that spans editorial desk work, investigative reporting, and political analysis. Professional Legacy Experience: He spent his first 16 years on the editorial desk before moving into active field reporting. He has written over 20,000 stories, including more than 10,000 bylined articles. Impact Journalism: He is widely respected for "campaign-style" reporting that leads to tangible social change. Road Safety: His decade-long campaign regarding the dangerous state of the Pune-Mumbai highway in Khadki resulted in a ₹23 crore reconstruction project in 2006, which dramatically reduced fatalities. Environmental Protection: His reports against tree cutting on the Pune-Mumbai and Pune-Nashik highways saved approximately 2,000 trees. Anti-Corruption: During the COVID-19 pandemic, he exposed a scam where doctors were being asked to pay bribes for government jobs, resulting in them being hired without payment. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) Manoj More's recent work focuses heavily on the shifting political landscape of Maharashtra and civic governance in the Pimpri-Chinchwad area: 1. Political Shifts & Alliances "Ajit Pawar's NCP continues domination in Pune, wins 10 of 17 local bodies" (Dec 21, 2025): A major report on the local self-government election results, detailing the NCP’s stronghold in Baramati, Indapur, and Lonavala. "BJP ropes in 13 ex-corporators, deals major blow to NCP" (Dec 20, 2025): Reporting on a significant political defection in Pimpri-Chinchwad as the BJP gears up for civic polls. "Congress opts for solo BMC run as alliance talks with Sena (UBT) collapse" (Dec 17, 2025): Covering the breakdown of Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) talks for the Mumbai civic elections. "NCP(SP)'s Rahul Kalate, Sena (UBT) leader Sanjog Waghere set to join BJP" (Dec 19, 2025): Detailing high-profile party-hopping ahead of the municipal elections. 2. Civic & Administrative Accountability "PCMC draws ire for issuing tenders worth Rs 250 crore just before poll code" (Dec 17, 2025): An investigative piece on the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation’s last-minute spending spree before election restrictions. "93 killed in 76 accidents in five years: Bypass service roads in Pune remain undeveloped for 18 yrs" (Nov 16, 2025): A critical look at the long-delayed infrastructure projects contributing to fatalities on Pune’s bypass roads. 3. Social & Labor Issues "As state says TCS has laid off 376 employees: FITE flags figures, say nearly 2,500 were forced to quit" (Dec 11, 2025): Investigating conflicting reports regarding IT sector layoffs in Maharashtra. "Maharashtra govt move to 'downgrade' Aadhaar cards" (Nov 30, 2025): Reporting on the state’s decision to require additional documents alongside Aadhaar to combat identity misuse. Signature Beat Manoj More is the definitive voice on Pimpri-Chinchwad, an industrial hub he has covered for three decades. His reporting is characterized by its aggressive stance against local "gondaism" (thuggery) and a relentless focus on civic infrastructure—choked drains, garbage management, and public transport. X (Twitter): @manojmore91982 ... Read More
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