Cockroach Janta Party Protest at Jantar Mantar Stretches Past Deadline Without Police Permission
New Delhi, June 19: The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) held its second protest at Jantar Mantar on Saturday, demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET paper leak. The protest began around 1 pm and continued into the night despite the Delhi Police denying permission for the demonstration to go beyond 5 pm.
Founder Abhijit Dipke (30) arrived at 2 pm and addressed the crowd, which grew to over 1,000 people by evening. He led chants of 'Go Pradhan Go', a slogan inspired by 'Go Corona Go' from the Covid-19 pandemic. Dipke also referenced Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call to bang plates during the pandemic, urging the crowd to do the same. Many demonstrators carried spoons and plates.
Activist Sonam Wangchuk joined the protest around 3:30 pm, invoking the teachings of Lord Ram. He stated that if Pradhan does not resign by next week, he would resume protests. Wangchuk called for accountability and urged the youth to become responsible future ministers.
The protest featured performances by rappers and poets from as far as Uttar Pradesh's Etawah, who recited verses referencing B.R. Ambedkar and societal issues. One poet, Rahul Sashta, performed a poem titled 'Samaj Ka Dastoor hai, Yaha Manav majboor hai'. Members of the student outfit AISA also participated.
When the clock struck 5 pm, Dipke wrote to the Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) seeking permission to continue the protest overnight. However, the request was denied. Despite this, Dipke and around 70–100 supporters remained at the site as night fell.
Among the attendees was Pragya, a 19-year-old Delhi University student, who said many of her friends had appeared for NEET and were hopeful for change. Aadesh Sharma, a 45-year-old from Karawal Nagar, said he felt compelled to attend after seeing a NEET aspirant in his neighborhood affected by the cancellation.
The CJP had previously protested on June 6 at the same location and in other cities. The group has demanded accountability for the NEET paper leak, which led to the cancellation of the exam for many aspirants.
