New Delhi, Jun 22: The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) continued its sit-in protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar for the third consecutive day on Monday, with founder Abhijeet Dipke stepping up his attack on the Centre over alleged examination irregularities and the NEET paper-leak controversy, as the protesters vowed to carry on their agitation until Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigns.
The protest, which began on Saturday afternoon, continued through Sunday, with supporters staying at the venue amid police deployment. Dipke said despite Monday being a working day, the protest site remained crowded and asserted that the demonstration would continue through the night.
“Day 3 at Jantar Mantar! Despite it being Monday, Jantar Mantar is full. The protest will continue tonight as well. We are not going to leave until Dharmendra Pradhan resigns,” he said in a post on X, sharing pictures from the protest site.
Dipke invited UPSC and SSC aspirants to come to Jantar Mantar on Tuesday and share their grievances.
Candles were lit at the venue in memory of students who allegedly died by suicide following the paper-leak controversy. Earlier, Dipke had alleged that police were not allowing candles at the protest site, but the activity was permitted later.
Addressing the protesters, Dipke questioned the response given to the students who were not allowed to take the NEET re-test after they reached the examination centres late by a few minutes, saying authorities are “punishing students”, while failing to act against those allegedly involved in the paper leak.
“You cannot tolerate four minutes of delay, but how can we tolerate the continuation of the education minister after the deaths of students?” he asked.
Dipke said Pradhan’s resignation is the “bare minimum” and claimed that accountability is missing from the education system. He said students have undergone trauma after preparing again for an examination that was cancelled following allegations of irregularities.
Some NEET aspirants who appeared for the re-test on Sunday also joined the protest and shared their experiences.
A student from Bihar who participated in the demonstration said, “Mentally, I am not in a good space as we had to prepare for and give the exam again. After the exam, you tend to relax, but they leaked the paper and cancelled the NEET.”
Students at the protest demanded accountability from Pradhan and reforms in the examination system. Dipke also appealed to people to join the agitation and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to meet NEET aspirants at Jantar Mantar, saying they want to share their experiences directly with him.
He questioned allegations that the protest is an attempt to provoke young people, saying raising students’ concerns cannot be considered provocation. He also criticised political leaders over issues of accountability and said focus should remain on education and student-related issues.
Dipke had on Monday alleged that police were preventing students from joining the protest by asking for their Aadhaar cards. The Delhi Police, however, denied the claim, saying it was “factually incorrect” and that the force neither conducted Aadhaar checks nor collected Aadhaar or address details from people at Jantar Mantar.
Members of Left student unions and youth organisations, including the SFI, AISA, AISF and KYS, also participated in the protest. The AISF has set up a free library at the protest site as part of its “Fight for Education with Education” initiative.
The library, created with nearly 100 books contributed by students, supporters and parents from their personal collections, has become a feature of the protest site. Protesters were seen browsing books on subjects, such as history, law, anthropology, biographies and civil rights.
AISF member Devang Aniket said the initiative reflects the nature of the protest. “As part of our Fight for Education with Education initiative, we have set up a library at the protest site. It shows how different this protest is from other protests,” he said.
Protesters said literacy and awareness are important tools to challenge what they described as a flawed education system.
Alongside slogans and speeches, several personal stories emerged from the protest site. Three friends from Uttarakhand travelled to Delhi to join the agitation and said they had not informed their parents about their plan.
“We told our parents that we were going to Delhi for an interview. We stood for hours in the general compartment of a train to reach here. We plan to stay until the protest ends,” said 24-year-old Manpreet Singh.
Saurabh from Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh, who had participated in the earlier phase of the agitation on June 6, returned to Delhi again on June 20. He said he initially expected the protest to last only a day and arrived unprepared.
“I thought the protest would last only a day, so I came unprepared. I ended up wearing the same T-shirt for two days before someone at the site gave me a fresh one,” he said.
Saurabh said he has been volunteering at the protest site by helping distribute food and water among demonstrators and would remain there until their demands are met.
Among those present was 35-year-old Babita Anjali from Odisha, who is battling liver cancer. She attended the protest with her 13-year-old son and medical equipment.
“I am a mother and I cannot begin to imagine the pain that the parents of the students who died by suicide must have gone through. I have come here for my own child. Every student in this country is like my own child,” she said.
The demonstration continued under security arrangements, with police personnel deployed and barricades placed around the protest area.
This is the second protest organised by the CJP at Jantar Mantar over alleged paper leaks and demands for accountability from the government. (PTI)
