New Delhi: Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) is set to hold its second major protest at Jantar Mantar Saturday, with founder Abhijeet Dipke urging participants to bring “plates and spoons” as the Internet-born outfit intensifies its campaign against exam paper leaks and student suicides.
The protest is scheduled to begin at 1 pm at Jantar Mantar and is expected to draw students from Delhi and neighbouring states.
In an appeal on social media, Dipke asked participants to bring plates and spoons to the protest.
Earlier, CJP spokesperson Saurav Das appealed to artists and singers to join the protest.
Dipke also wrote an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday expressing concern over what he described as an escalating crisis affecting students and demanding accountability from the government.
In the letter, Dipke urged the Centre to provide Rs 1 crore compensation to families of students who died by suicide amid examination-related controversies. He claimed that 11 students killed themselves in recent weeks.
He also demanded the sacking of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET paper leak.
“The Cockroach Janta Party has been demanding the resignation of the education minister for the past month and has been protesting across the country for our demands. All that we students want is to see some accountability for the loss of lives,” Dipke said in the letter.
The June 20 protest follows a demonstration organised by the group at Jantar Mantar on June 6, where hundreds of students and young professionals gathered to demand action over irregularities in entrance exams and recruitment tests.
Later, the organisation expanded its campaign to multiple cities and continued to press for accountability in examination-related matters, with Pradhan’s resignation remaining one of its principal demands.
Meanwhile, security was tightened across the national capital ahead of Saturday’s protest.
The Delhi Police said the CJP has been granted permission to hold the demonstration.
CCTV cameras have been installed at and around Jantar Mantar for real-time monitoring, while around 270 body-worn cameras will be used by police personnel deployed at the site.
The Delhi Police videographers have been assigned to record the protest and developments on the ground. Multiple layers of barricades have been erected around Jantar Mantar and adjoining roads; vehicles are being stopped for a check at key entry and exit points in the city
Police sources said reserve forces have been kept on standby and senior officers have been assigned field duties to supervise security arrangements.
The Special Branch is closely monitoring developments and social media activity linked to the protest, officials said. Security has also been stepped up at major transport hubs, including the city airport, railway stations, inter-state bus terminals and border points.
Traffic diversions may be imposed depending on the size of the gathering, though metro services are expected to operate normally, the police said.
PTI