Protest Leader Demands Education Minister's Resignation at Jantar Mantar Rally
New Delhi, June 20: Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), held a second protest at Jantar Mantar on Saturday, demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The protest, which began in the afternoon, saw police evacuate the venue after the permitted 5 p.m. deadline. Mr. Dipke pledged to continue the agitation until Mr. Pradhan steps down, a key demand that has garnered the CJP over two crore social media followers in recent weeks.
Crowds at the venue were comparable to those at the June 6 protest, when Mr. Dipke arrived directly from the airport after returning from the U.S. However, many demonstrators began dispersing after police repeatedly announced over loudspeakers that the permission for the demonstration had expired at 5 p.m. A few hundred protesters remained, surrounding Mr. Dipke, amid concerns within the party that he could be detained.
As the deadline approached, Mr. Dipke declared that the protest was not over and that it would continue until Mr. Pradhan resigned. He shared a handwritten letter requesting police permission to extend the demonstration. While police denied the extension, they later reduced their presence as the crowd thinned.
Late into the evening, Mr. Dipke remained on the stage even as police restricted access to the protest area. He alleged that water was not being allowed into the venue, terming it a human rights violation. After sunset, authorities switched off floodlights, prompting protesters to use phone flashlights. Police later relented, turning floodlights back on and permitting water.
“Why is Dharmendra Pradhan still continuing as Minister?” Mr. Dipke asked. “Is the law only for us? You [Delhi Police] are giving us a warning that your protest time has ended. You should also give a warning to Dharmendra Pradhan that your time in the Ministry has ended.”
Mr. Dipke had asked supporters to bring metal utensils and bang them during the protest, echoing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 2020 call to honour frontline workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The protest followed similar demonstrations in Pune, Lucknow, Amritsar, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Jaipur.
