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Informist, Saturday, Jun. 6, 2026

 

NEW DELHI – Thousands braved June's sweltering heat to gather at Delhi's Jantar Mantar Saturday to take part in a protest called by the Cockroach Janta Party against irregularities in competitive examinations and the education system. The participants, including founder of the movement Abhijeet Dipke, demanded accountability from the government, and the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

 

Dipke said if Pradhan did not resign or was made to resign by 1700 IST on Saturday, protests will be held across India. He said protests would be organised across multiple cities throughout the week, as he announced plans for another demonstration at Jantar Mantar next Saturday. Jantar Mantar – a stone's throw away from Parliament House-- is the "designated" site where people can hold protests after taking permission from the police.

 

Dipke, who landed in Delhi from the US this morning, told the crowd that his mother and sister have been worried that authorities could throw him behind bars because of his criticism of the government. "My mother cried when she heard I was coming back, much more than she did when I was leaving for the US to study", Dipke said, highlighting the broader issue of shrinking space for political dissent and freedom of expression.

 

"How long will we live in fear of this government?" he asked the crowd, who shouted back, "Nahi rahenge, nahi rahenge (we won't live in fear)." Those on the makeshift dais waved pictures of Bhimrao Ambedkar and Bhagat Singh.

 

Social activist Sonam Wangchuk, who came down from Ladakh to lend his support to the youth, said, "The government has not stopped this protest. We hope that this government allows such creative, constructive expressions in the future as well."

 

He called Dipke "cockroach-in-chief" and addressed the gathering as "my dear cockroaches". "More than resignation, I want the government to take responsibility," Wangchuk added, echoing the larger sentiment.

 

The gathering shouted slogans demanding Pradhan's resignation, abolition of National Testing Agency, an end to corruption, and the government's accountability to the public. Many participants donned cockroach face masks, which they bought at the site for around INR 30. They also carried creative placards and banners to express their anguish. A banner bore IPL expanded as Indian Paper Leak. Another read, "We asked for Make in India, you gave us Leak in India."

 

Many participants, in their bytes to media, claimed they had travelled from different cities and states including Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar, and West Bengal "for the sake of our future". Many parents also accompanied their children to Jantar Mantar.

 

"How come papers are getting leaked so frequently? How many times will our children give exams?" a concerned mother told Newslaundry. "When a child prepares for an exam, the entire household gets involved... the entire family feels the pressure," she added.

 

By the evening, several political leaders, including Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav and Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar) leader Rohit Pawar expressed solidarity with the movement. "To the arrogant rulers may this voice reach, the youth have now sparked a revolution," Akhilesh Yadav wrote in Hindi on X.

 

Rohit Pawar said that the agitation shows "simmering discontent" among the youth, alluding to question paper leak in the National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test for medical, and irregularities in paper markings in Class 12 exam conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Education.

 

The Delhi Police had granted CJP permission to organise demonstration on Saturday morning only. A massive build-up of police and Rapid Action Force personnel at Jantar Mantar had started on Friday itself. Security in the entire New Delhi district was tightened, with additional deployment near minister Darmendra Pradhan's official residence.

 

In a corner, a small crowd of self-proclaimed "Hinduvadi" activists shouted slogans of Jai Shri Ram, and tried to disrupt the demonstration claiming that it was "against the nation". The police quickly whisked the disruptors away.  

 

Around 1700 IST, the police asked the protesters to disperse, following which Dipke, Wangchuk, and other CJP organisers left the site. End

 

Reported by Asim Khan and Shweta

Edited by Deepshikha Bhardwaj

 

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