Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke returned to India on Friday and launched a protest at Delhi's Jantar Mantar. The demonstration demanded the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged irregularities in examinations and recruitment tests. The protest took place under heavy security deployment and attracted hundreds of participants, including students, young professionals, and parents.
Abhijeet Dipke Addresses Supporters at Jantar Mantar
During his address, Dipke said the campaign seeking Pradhan's resignation had been running on social media for the past month. "My friends, this is a long struggle. It has been a month since we started demanding Pradhan's resignation on social media, but these individuals are so shameless that instead of taking action, they have been focused on other distractions, like hacking our accounts and getting our posts deleted. You may be able to delete our posts, but you cannot erase us from this space," he said.
CJP Protest Demands Education Reforms and Teacher Training
One of the major demands raised during the protest was the need for proper training before implementing digital systems in education. “We are digitalising everything from banking to education, but are we able to stop the wrong practices? The answer is no. There is rampant bank fraud, and now we are seeing the impact of digitalisation in the education space. I am not against it, but introduce it only after proper assessment and training of teachers,” said Radheshyam Kaithal, a parent of three students studying in Delhi.
Protesters Highlight Impact of Manipur Unrest on Education
Participants also raised concerns about disruptions to education in Manipur. “There’s unrest in Manipur since the past three years. Nothing in my state functions in a normal way, including schools and colleges. Students are under so much distress there,” said Winson, a social entrepreneur currently working in Noida.
NEET Paper Leak and Exam Transparency Among Key Issues
Many protesters demanded greater fairness and transparency in competitive examinations. “My cousin was preparing for NEET away from family and in a tiny room in Kota. He was hopeful that even if he got admission to a low-ranking college, he would take it. But then the leak happened. He has been preparing for over three years. We don’t know how to motivate him to appear for the paper again,” said Gayathri Singh.
Students and Parents Back CJP Protest
Several attendees said they joined the protest because it focused on issues affecting students and parents. “I have been following the party online, but wasn’t sure if I should come for the protest or not. I was on my way to the office at 10 am in Rohini, but suddenly I decided to just come and check,” said Ronak Kumar.
“I don’t know about the party’s future, but for now at least they are talking about issues that matter to everyone—whether you are a student or a parent worrying about the education of your children,” he added.
Student Mental Health and Accountability Raised at Rally
Participants also highlighted concerns about student stress and mental health. “The CJP movement has been able to bring people from social media to the ground, which means they are talking about issues that people somewhere relate to. Some students have ended their lives and lakhs are under constant mental pressure, and there’s no accountability,” said Sugandha, a psychologist.
Hundreds Join CJP Protest at Jantar Mantar
Hundreds of people attended the demonstration. Many wore cockroach masks and carried flowers. The gathering included school students, college students, young professionals, and parents.
Protesters Demand Dharmendra Pradhan's Resignation
Participants raised slogans demanding the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan. The slogans referred to the NEET paper leak controversy, concerns over the CBSE on-screen marking system, and other alleged examination-related issues. “Dharmendra Pradhan must resign”, “Dharmendra Pradhan, resign!” and “Jai Bhim” were among the slogans raised during the protest.