Protesters Allege Phone Surveillance as 13-Day Demonstration Continues in Delhi
New Delhi: Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), alleged on Wednesday that protesters at Delhi's Jantar Mantar were under phone surveillance, with WhatsApp calls and chats being monitored. The claim was made as the group's protest over alleged examination irregularities entered its 13th day.
In a post on X, Dipke stated that unnamed sources within the system had informed the organisation that its internal communications were being intercepted. "Sources within the system have informed us that our phones are under surveillance and that our WhatsApp calls and chats are being monitored. The sources told us the exact conversations word to word we had in the internal team," he wrote.
The protest, which began on June 20, initially focused on irregularities in the NEET examination but has since expanded to include broader demands for government accountability, including concerns related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Separately, education reform activist Sonam Wangchuk, who is on an indefinite hunger strike, shared a health update on Thursday. Doctors advised him to increase water and salt intake after his blood pressure was found to be low. Wangchuk reported a blood sugar level of 66 after several days without food but said his condition was not yet life-threatening. He noted losing two kilograms during the fast and said his "inconveniences are nothing compared to the 20+ students who gave their lives and the five youths who died in Ladakh last September."
Dipke also provided an update on Inesh, a student who had been on hunger strike for eight days before being hospitalised on Tuesday night. "Inesh is recovering well at the hospital. Our team is in touch with him and monitoring the situation," Dipke posted on X.
Renewing his criticism of the central government, Dipke said the movement had been driven by repeated examination controversies and the government's alleged failure to respond. "What it takes today to seek accountability: Countless paper leaks, millions of dreams shattered, 20+ student suicides, a hunger strike by an educationist and the youth," he said, alleging that India had never before seen such an "arrogant" government.
