Tearful and relieved, Abhijeet Dipke’s parents want him back home soon

They stood wordlessly, tears rolling down their eyes. In the minutes after Abhijeet Dipke’s parents came to know that Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan had resigned and the government had accepted the demands of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), they did not know what to say.

“These are tears of joy and relief,” Anita Dipke told reporters gathered at the family’s home in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar as news of the withdrawal of the protest broke.

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Abhijeet Dipke, who took centre stage at the protests in Delhi as the CJP’s founder, is the only child of Anita and Bhagwanrao Dipke.

“Ink was thrown on him. He was slapped. He had to bear so much! We are very happy today. His hard work has finally paid off. His honesty has been rewarded. We were under stress for the last two-and-a-half months,” Ms. Anita Dipke told reporters.

He husband, dressed in a blue T-shirt, stood beside her in silence, quietly removing a white handkerchief from his pocket to wipe his tears, one hand reaching out to support his emotional wife.

Mr. Bhagwanrao Dipke later claimed the Education Minister had shown generosity by resigning. “This should not be seen as anybody’s victory or defeat. Leaving such a high post requires a big heart. Even while resigning, he (Mr. Pradhan) thought about the interests of the students,” he later said.

Had Mr. Pradhan not resigned, there was uncertainty over the direction the agitation would have taken, Mr. Bhagwanrao Dipke said. “There was a lot of anger in the hearts of the students, and their parents, too,” he added.

Mr. Bhagwanrao Dipke recollected the difficult time the family had to endure in the past weeks. “Abhijeet has had to bear so much at such a young age! He was termed a terrorist, he was beaten up. He was accused of being funded by the foreign countries. We faced tremendous pressure when he returned from the U.S. But he has finally succeeded. Had he been around today, I would have hugged him,” Mr. Bhagwanrao Dipke said.

Finding the live coverage of the protest stressful, the family stopped watching TV, finally switching it on on Saturday (July 25, 2026), after the protest was called off. When asked how they had learnt of the developments, Mr. Bhagwanrao Dipke said he had received a call from a friend, after which he had searched for news on YouTube.

The family had been very scared for Mr. Abhijeet Dipke’s well-being, his mother said. “He is our only child. He had never faced any hardships. He was studying in the U.S. After taking this up, he had to sleep amidst mosquitoes. He had to sleep alone. He was beaten up. There were times when I would tell him to come back. But he is a very stubborn child. He told me that he would not return till the Minister resigned. Look at what he has achieved now. What is Abhijeet’s age? He is barely 29. But he has gained such a huge victory!” she said.

Mr. Abhijeet Dipke is undergoing treatment for typhoid, his family members said. Relatives and neighbours gathered at the Dipke residence, brought sweets for the family, and burst firecrackers.