Hundreds of protesters gathered at Delhi's Jantar Mantar on Saturday under the banner of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)
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NEW DELHI — Hundreds of protesters gathered at Delhi's Jantar Mantar on Saturday under the banner of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), demanding Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation over alleged irregularities in examinations and recruitment tests, with founder Abhijeet Dipke delivering the message not to be "scared".
Dipke, who called for the protest, arrived in Delhi from the United States on Saturday morning. After receiving permission from the Delhi Police, he reached Jantar Mantar, where crowds were gathering since morning.
Protesters, armed with posters demanding Pradhan's resignation, were seen wearing cockroach masks, which were being distributed at the venue. Besides demanding the education minister's resignation, the protesters also raised slogans demanding that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) stop indulging in "Hindu-Muslim" politics, and hailed the motherland with "Bharat Mata ki Jai" slogans.
Dipke instructed them to only raise slogans hailing the country, Mahatma Gandhi and B R Ambedkar, while opposing communal politics.
The CJP founder said his mother cried more on his return than when he had left for the US, as she feared his arrest on coming back to India.
"This is not just the fear of my mother, this is the fear of the parents of any youngster who speaks on politics.... How long will we live in fear? Tell them, we are not scared," he said.
Dipke participated in the demonstration held under heavy security. He was later joined by climate activist Sonam Wangchuk. CPI(ML) Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, CPI's Annie Raja and activists from Left student and youth organisations also participated in the protest.
"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 focussed 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," Dipke said during his address to the crowd, which energetically supported his words.
Recalling his arrival at the Indira Gandhi International Airport earlier in the morning, Dipke said just before his plane was about to land, he felt as though he was living his last moments of freedom. "I was fully prepared to sacrifice my freedom for this cause," he said.
The CJP founder claimed that many people have compromised themselves and "sold out" due to the fear of imprisonment. "Lekin is desh ka chatra, yuva nahi bika hai (The youth and students of this country have not sold themselves)," he said amid loud cheers from the crowd.
Hundreds of people, mostly youngsters, turned out for the demonstration, many wearing cockroach masks and holding flowers. School students were also seen attending the protest along with their parents.
The majority of the participants were a mix of school and college students, along with young professionals.
Scores of students had gathered at the venue, chanting slogans and demanding Pradhan's resignation.
Dipke had urged his supporters to maintain discipline and ensure that the protest remains peaceful.
Wangchuk said he was impressed with the youngsters and their peaceful protest. He also appreciated the fact that the government allowed the protest to be held.
"I hope that even in the future, it will allow such creative expressions," he said.
Wangchuk thanked Dipke, calling him the "Cockroach-in-Chief", and told the protesters, "You did not keep sitting at home crying nor are you creating any ruckus on the road."
Protesters also carried copies of the Constitution and the Indian flag, while some brought flowers.
The protest ended around 3:30 pm after Dipke started feeling unwell.
The protest was organised by the CJP, a youth-led online movement demanding accountability for alleged irregularities in examinations and recruitment tests, including the NEET, CBSE, CUET and SSC examinations.
Security was heightened across Delhi in anticipation of the protest. Police officials said additional personnel were deployed at the airport, border-entry points and other sensitive locations.
More than 1,000 police personnel were deployed throughout New Delhi and other strategic locations as a precaution.
Six people were detained by the Delhi Police to prevent a possible confrontation between two groups during the CJP's protest at Jantar Mantar, officials said.
The detentions were made as a precautionary measure to maintain law and order after police received inputs about the possibility of tensions between supporters and opposers of the online movement.
In the run-up to the protest, the CJP had circulated guidelines urging participants to maintain a non-violent conduct and avoid confrontation.
Dipke's latest appeal reiterated those instructions, emphasising a respectful engagement with law-enforcement personnel during the demonstration.