‘Won’t leave until Pradhan resigns’: CJP founder seeks permission to extend protest

NEW DELHI, June 20: Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijit Dipke on Saturday said he will not leave Jantar Mantar until the education minister resigns and asked Delhi Police to extend permission to let the protest continue.
He was addressing a large number of students and supporters demonstrating at the second protest organised by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) here over alleged examination irregularities, repeated paper leaks and demands for accountability from the government.
Dipke said, “I request the authorities… since youth from all over the country is here. They want to sit here till we get justice. (I) request Delhi Police to extend our permission. The protest has been peaceful; we are just innocent students who want to sit here.” The youth leader also said that the channel for dialogue is open, but the “only condition is that Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan should resign”.
He also requested Delhi Police to “open a dialogue with the Centre” and asserted, “If there are arrests, I will be the first to court arrest.” Dipke also appealed to supporters to join the ongoing protest at Jantar Mantar at 6 pm, expressing confidence that police will grant the permission for the extension.
The protest started earlier in the day amid heavy police deployment as students sloganeered and held placards seeking answers from the government over alleged failures in ensuring transparent examinations and protecting the interests of aspirants.
Supporters responded to Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke’s call to bring “thali and chammach” (plates and spoons), using them as symbols of protest and banging them during the demonstration. Chants of “Dharmendra Pradhan must resign” echoed at the venue, as protesters renewed their demand for accountability over issues related to examination management.
Dipke arrived at the protest venue to huge cheers from the crowd and said they want to resolve the issues faced by the students.
“We are here to solve today’s students’ problems,” he said. (PTI)