Rinki Chatterjee Singh’s account of her own career is a long ledger of cases – ones she has filed, and ones filed against her. An FIR was registered against Mamata Banerjee in May on her complaint, she claims, and she filed another against the former West Bengal Chief Minister in June. Two of her Facebook accounts were blocked in India and a third withheld after a legal request from the West Bengal Police, according to her.

This week, she added Abhijeet Dipke to the ledger.

Days after the Cockroach Janta Party’s protest in Delhi ended, the Siliguri-based advocate filed a complaint at the city’s Cyber police station seeking a zero FIR against CJP founder Dipke, party spokesperson Saurav Das and others. She accused them of violating the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act and provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, alleging that they took a 12-year-old girl to the NEET protest at Jantar Mantar, where the child was allegedly injured during police action.

Though Singh is only one of two people who recently went to the police against Dipke this week. The other is Faizan Ansari, a social media influencer with over a million Instagram followers, who filed a complaint with the Delhi Police seeking Dipke’s arrest and alleging he is a “Pakistani agent”. Ansari is a Delhi-based content creator otherwise known for his remarks on celebrities and for participating in reality shows like Datebaazi. 

These two complaints come against a broader campaign against the CJP’s leadership since the protest wound up – one that has also involved a video shot at Das’s home and the circulation of personal details of women who took part in the protests. All of it comes as the CJP’s core leadership gathers in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar from August 5 for a two-day meeting to chart the movement’s next phase.

The advocate: ‘Police are lenient to me now’

Singh describes herself as “a Hindu activist and a nationalist”. Her Facebook bio reads: “I advocate for Hindus across India”.

Singh says she has been in the legal profession for 14 years. She was the BJP Mahila Morcha convener for Darjeeling district until 2023, stepping down from the organisational post over professional commitments, though she said she remains associated with the party’s legal cell. Numerous photos on her Facebook profile show her campaigning for the BJP during the recently concluded West Bengal elections.

She claimed that more than 70 criminal cases were registered against her during the Trinamool Congress government’s tenure in West Bengal, around 12 of which remain pending, and alleged these were directly linked to her activism. Her online presence, by her account, was targeted the same way. “In 2022–23, I lost two Facebook accounts, and my third account was withheld this year,” she claimed.

The May FIR against Banerjee, she says, followed her complaint over the former Chief Minister’s remarks on Sanatan Dharma. Her June complaint concerned Banerjee’s remarks linking the central government to political killings in Bangladesh.

Singh, who says she has been vocal against the Banerjee government and frequently raises cases involving alleged “love jihad” in Bengal, said the change of government in the state has changed how the police treat her. “Even this morning, I received a warrant in one case. But now, because a BJP government is here, the police are lenient toward me.”

Her complaint rests on a wider claim about the agitation, which she claimed had a hidden agenda. “This entire NEET agitation is an eyewash and a suspicious movement. They do not want the issue to end. Former Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan tried to include the history and contributions of Hindu kings after the removal of Mughal rulers from the curriculum. Following that, this movement gained momentum. In my personal opinion, there is a larger agenda behind it,” she told Newslaundry.

Without providing evidence, she further alleged: “I believe foreign forces want India to face a situation similar to Nepal and Bangladesh… The ultimate objective is to bring down the Modi government. The deep state plays a complete role in this.”

Students, she said, were not the only ones present at the protest. “I will press the authorities to accept this complaint and register a formal case. If I find that the police are taking a lenient approach, I will request the addition of provisions under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. The police have the power to add sections during the course of the investigation.”

She said the organisers must answer for the child’s presence. “Who brought a 12-year-old child to the protest? If they themselves admit they brought the child, then they must also take responsibility.”

“I am confident the zero FIR will be converted into a regular FIR. If the police do not act, I will approach the high court. I will pursue this matter to the end.”

According to Supreme Court lawyer Manas P Hameed, a zero FIR is a mechanism under the BNSS that lets a complainant approach any police station, irrespective of territorial jurisdiction, to report a cognisable offence. The receiving station registers the zero FIR and forwards it to the station with territorial jurisdiction for further examination. The provision exists so that complainants are not turned away merely because they walked into the wrong police station. 

The influencer: A complaint at Parliament Street

Ansari said he lodged his written complaint against Dipke at the Parliament Street Police Station in New Delhi, submitting it to the Deputy Commissioner of Police. He accused Dipke of inciting unrest in the country and alleged that he has links with student activist Umar Khalid and with Pakistani operatives.

He also alleged that Dipke’s associates physically assaulted him on two separate occasions, in Pune and in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar – the same city where the CJP leadership is now meeting – and said he had filed formal police complaints over both incidents in Maharashtra.

Ansari frequently tries to draw attention through comments on celebrities and online personalities, including Uorfi Javed, Rakhi Sawant, Tanushree Dutta, Poonam Pandey, and cricketer Suryakumar Yadav. 

He has also waded into political controversy before, publicly backing BJP MP Kangana Ranaut over her comments on women wearing shorts at the Baijnath Temple in Himachal Pradesh, where Ranaut argued that western attire was being promoted by foreign cultures and was inappropriate for local religious customs.

Reached for comment, Ansari said, “My legal team is in touch with both the Delhi Police and Mumbai Police, seeking an update on the status of my complaints.”

Alleging that CJP supporters targeted him, Ansari claimed: “I was physically attacked in Pune and Aurangabad by Abhijeet Dipke’s supporters while he was present at the spot. I was speaking the truth about Dipke and advising people not to support the CJP because they are acting against our nation. Regarding the allegations of his Pakistani connections, I hold concrete proof against Dipke and will present this evidence directly before the High Court.”

The wider pressure on the CJP

Beyond the two complaints, the CJP’s leadership has faced a campaign conducted largely online. 

Das, in a post on X on Wednesday, called the entry into his residence a serious breach of his privacy and a security risk for him and his family. He said that if any anti-social elements were to attack him at his home as a consequence, the YouTubers involved and those coordinating them would be directly responsible, and tagged the Delhi Police. Trinamool Congress MP Derek O’Brien said he would raise the issue in the Rajya Sabha.

Deepak Sharma, who is part of the pro-Hindutva YouTube channel The Pamphlet, posted a video purporting to show Das’s residence, in which he appears to enter the property before attempting to peer through a window. Promoting the video on X, the channel’s account wrote: “EXCLUSIVE ON THE PAMPHLET: SauravDassss’ landlord Anand lives in Australia. He pays Rs 12 lakh rent for his posh and lavish home in GK1 in Delhi. Watch the ‘house tour’ on The Pamphlet.” The post was later amplified by several pro-Hindutva accounts, including Jaipur Dialogues.

The video followed coordinated online campaigns against women who took part in the CJP protests, during which right-wing social media accounts circulated their names, photographs, phone numbers, residential addresses and details of family members without consent.

The CJP announced on Monday that its core leadership would meet in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar from August 5 for two days to decide the future course of the youth movement, with the founder, spokespersons and organisational leaders in attendance. Speaking to reporters ahead of the meeting, Dipke said the party will function as a pressure group for now, as that is what India needs at the moment. 

Speaking to Newslaundry, CJP spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka said, “We will stay focused on what’s next for CJP. Some groups and individuals are resorting to such theatrics just for cheap publicity. They may continue to do so. We will not be bothered by them, and we will stay focused on what's next for CJP.”

Newslaundry reached out to the Siliguri unit of the BJP for comment. This report will be updated if a response is received.

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