New Delhi, June 21: On the second day of the protest at Jantar Mantar, Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke sought farmers’ support to the youth-led agitation over alleged examination irregularities, NEET paper leak and the demand for education minister’s resignation.
He said students stood by farmers in the fight for their rights and need farmers’ solidarity now.
While the protest drew hundreds of youths on Saturday, police made repeated announcements in the evening, asking those present to vacate the premises. Police said the permission granted for the gathering had ended at 5 pm.
Dipke and several other protesters, however, sat through the night and have continued the sit-in protest at Jantar Mantar, reiterating their demand for Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation.
The CJP founder has also appealed to people to reach Jantar Mantar, while asking NEET re-exam aspirants to join the agitation after completing their test.
“We are holding the fort but without your support this movement won’t be successful,” Dipke said as he urged people to join the protest on Sunday.
Seeking support from the farmer community, he said, “I appeal to farmers across India to come and stand with students at Jantar Mantar.”
When farmers were fighting for their rights, students stood shoulder to shoulder with them and now students need the same solidarity today, he said.
Earlier, in a series of posts on X, Dipke appealed to police not to stop people from coming to Jantar Mantar, saying the protesters were not doing anything wrong and were only seeking justice for students who died by suicide.
He also requested authorities to restore water supply to public restrooms at the protest site, claiming that there had been no water supply since Saturday night. The protesters had earlier alleged that lights at the site were switched off and access to water, food and washrooms was restricted.
They later said drinking water access was restored, and lights were switched back on.
The Delhi Police had on Saturday night directed Dipke and the protesters to vacate the venue, saying the demonstration had permission only from 10 am to 5 pm. Police said continuation beyond the permitted hours was a violation of the conditions of permission and warned of legal action.
As the night progressed, Dipke and the protesters remained at the site, turning the demonstration into an overnight sit-in. The protesters continued raising slogans demanding Pradhan’s resignation, and the protest site saw a steady presence of supporters through the night, with Dipke continuing to address the gathering and urging more people to join the demonstration.
Several protesters carried placards and raised slogans, and the atmosphere remained charged at Jantar Mantar.
Dipke said the protest would continue peacefully and reiterated his appeal for dialogue with the Centre, saying the channel for talks remained open if accountability was fixed and the education minister resigned. (PTI)
