Hundreds Join CJP Protest in Delhi against Education System, Demanding Minister’s Resignation

Rohit Kumar

NEW DELHI, June 6: A massive crowd of school students, college-goers, competitive exam aspirants and parents gathered at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar on Saturday in response to a call for protest by the Cockroach Janta Party over recent exam lapses, including NEET, CBSE and CUET rows with many saying concerns over the education system had brought them to the demonstration.

The founder of the online movement CJP Abhijeet Dipke, a student in the US, who landed in New Delhi in the morning, criticized the government for focusing on the organisation’s social media activity rather than addressing their demands, which included resignation of the union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged irregularities in examinations and recruitment tests.

The protest ended peacefully. Six people were detained by the Delhi Police to prevent a possible confrontation between two groups during the protest, officials said. Many of the attendees showed concerns over recurring controversies around examinations, uncertainty over results and a lack of accountability from authorities.

The climate activist and innovator Sonam Wangchuk also joined the ‘Cockroach Janta Party’ protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi. Earlier on Saturday morning, The Delhi Police gave permission for the protest by the online platform. On Mr Dipke’s arrival at the Delhi airport, police officials met him at the airport and allowed him to proceed to Jantar Mantar for the protest.

Dipke was seen coming out of the airport carrying a copy of social reformer and Constitution architect BR Ambedkar’s autobiography. Delhi Police had made strict security arrangements in the wake of the protest. Around 2,000 police personnel were deployed at the protest site and adjacent areas in Central Delhi. In a pamphlet distributed at the protest site, the ‘Cockroach Janta Party’ said the demonstration was aimed at “demanding accountability, seeking justice, and calling for education minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation.” The pamphlet also said the party’s petition seeking Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation had received more than 8 lakh signatures.

On May 16, Abhijeet Dipke launched the Cockroach Janta Party, a satirical digital outfit, following a controversy over Chief Justice of India Surya Kant’s “parasites” and “cockroaches” remark. Within hours, the CJP took the internet by storm and gained millions of followers across social media platforms.

Several participants in the protest said recurring controversies around examinations, uncertainty over results and a lack of accountability from authorities have shaken their confidence in the system. Some also expressed disappointment with both the ruling BJP as well as the opposition parties, saying issues affecting young people are not receiving adequate attention.

One of the parents at the protest was Nusrat Parveen, who attended with her three daughters. She said she had seen the pressure students face while preparing for competitive examinations. “My children are worried about their future. As a parent, I feel that pressure too,” she said.

Another attendee of the Jantar Mantar protest said students map out their future plans based on expected results, but such uncertainty impacts them.

For some participants, the issues go beyond examinations and reflect broader concerns about opportunities available to youngsters. UPSC aspirant Raju Sharma said authorities need to be held accountable for such lapses. He also argued that opposition parties should lend stronger support to issues concerning education.

Dipke threatened of a nationwide protest if education minister did not resign. Dharmendra Pradhan and the education department are facing flak over the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak case and alleged irregularities in the CBSE’s on-screen marking (OSM) system, which was used for both evaluation and re-evaluation of Class 12 board examinations.

The Congress on Saturday said Mr Pradhan must take responsibility for the lapses in CBSE on-screen marking (OSM), calling his continuation in office an insult to lakhs of students and their families.

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray said the Center must listen to the youth who are protesting at Jantar Mantar seeking the resignation of the Education Minister over exam-related lapses and should not underestimate them. In a post on Facebook, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut put out Mr Thackeray’s message which said youth are the future of the country and they are protesting in scorching heat. It is inappropriate to deny them justice and address them as “cockroach.”

Six people were detained by the Delhi Police to prevent a possible confrontation between two groups during the 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 those in favor and against the online movement, they said.

Officials noted that the preventive detentions were made to help ensure the demonstration concluded peacefully without any major law-and-order issues. Officials stated that the six individuals were taken into preventive custody when they were found attempting to create a disturbance near the protest site. Fortunately, the situation remained under control, and no incidents were reported.