Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke has slammed Delhi Police for its alleged differential treatment of gangsters and protesters after a video of an officer referring to Lawrence Bishnoi as “Sahab” went viral on social media.
Dipke, in a series of tweets, questioned the excessive respect displayed by the police towards the gangster as compared to the way they deal with students and activists taking part in protests.
“Lawrence Bishnoi Sahab”
The respect Delhi Police has for gangsters.
Wish they showed 10% of this courtesy to students and activists who are doing nothing but protest.
His post came after a video of Delhi Police Abhishek Dhania referring to Bishnoi as “Lawrence Bishnoi Sahab” during a press conference surfaced on social media.
It appears Dhania used “Sahab”- a reverential honorific often used in north India -when referring to Bishnoi in a press conference to announce a special investigation team against him.
Video of Police Officer Referring to Bishnoi as ‘Sahab’
The viral video is about the conversation between Dhania and news channels regarding the special investigation team, with Dhania addressing Bishnoi as ‘Lawrence Bishnoi Sahab’.
This caught attention on social media with many questioning the police department’s differential treatment towards Bishnoi, who is accused of various crimes, including murder, and is a vocal social media celebrity.
Dipke expressed his concerns after seeing the video and shared his thoughts on X formerly known as Twitter.
I feel like saying the respect Delhi Police has for gangsters, wish it would show 10 percent courtesy to students and activists who are doing nothing but protesting.
Through his post, he further stated that students and activists should be given due respect while protesting.
“Lawrence Bishnoi Sahab."
The respect Delhi Police has for gangsters.
Wish they showed 10% of this courtesy to students and activists who are doing nothing but protest.
Remarks Reignite Debate on Police Conduct
Dipke’s comments have reignited the debate on the police force’s conduct toward citizens, particularly regarding protests and maintaining public order.
While using an honorific when addressing Bishnoi alone might not be sufficient evidence of favoritism, Dipke’s disapproval rightly brings up the treatment of protesters by police.
Although demonstrations disrupt public life, they are an essential exercise in democracy and must be allowed.
But as matters stand, protesters face a lot of scrutiny and condemnation from authorities, who often charge them with offenses such as ‘illegal assembly’.
Furthermore, the fact that the video has attracted significant attention and discussion on social media makes it difficult to overlook it.