NEW DELHI: With thalis in hand, members of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) continued their protest at Jantar Mantar on Sunday, demanding the resignation of union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan.In a post on social media, CJP said, “With thalis in hand, cockroaches remain at Jantar Mantar, demanding the resignation of the incompetent education minister Dharmendra Pradhan. We will not leave until he resigns.”The Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP) protest at Jantar Mantar entered its second day on Sunday, with founder Abhijeet Dipke urging more people to join the agitation demanding the resignation of Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged examination irregularities.Appealing to supporters, Dipke asked people to gather at Jantar Mantar and encouraged NEET re-exam candidates to join the protest after completing their examination.“We are holding the fort but without your support this movement won’t be successful,” he said.The demonstration continued despite Delhi Police stating that permission for the gathering had expired at 5 pm on Saturday and directing protesters to vacate the site. Dipke requested authorities to allot an alternative venue, saying the sit-in would continue at Jantar Mantar until then.In posts on X, Dipke appealed to police not to prevent people from reaching the protest venue, saying the demonstrators were peacefully seeking justice for students who died by suicide. He also claimed that water supply to public washrooms had been disrupted since Saturday night and urged authorities to restore basic facilities.Protesters earlier alleged that lights at the site had been switched off and access to water, food and washrooms had been restricted. They later said drinking water access was restored and lights were switched back on.Police had warned protesters on Saturday night that continuing beyond the permitted hours violated the conditions under which permission had been granted and could invite legal action. However, the demonstrators remained at the venue, turning the gathering into an overnight sit-in.Supporters continued raising slogans through the night, while Dipke repeatedly addressed the crowd and called on more people to join the movement. Several protesters carried placards and participated in slogan-shouting as the protest site remained active.Dipke maintained that the agitation would remain peaceful and reiterated his willingness to hold talks with the Centre if accountability was fixed and the education minister resigned.The protest began on Saturday afternoon amid heavy security arrangements, including barricades, CCTV surveillance and deployment of police personnel equipped with body cameras. Hundreds of supporters, mostly young people, gathered at Jantar Mantar after Dipke’s call to bring “thali and chammach”, banging plates and spoons while demanding Pradhan’s resignation.Among the demands raised by Dipke is a compensation of Rs 1 crore for families of students who allegedly died by suicide following the paper leak controversy and cancellation of the entrance examination.“If there are arrests, I will be the first to court arrest,” he told supporters.Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, who joined the protest, announced that he would begin a hunger strike on June 27 if Pradhan did not step down.The demonstration is the second protest organised by the CJP at Jantar Mantar over alleged repeated paper leaks and demands for accountability from the government.
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(With Agency Inputs)