Hundreds gathered at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on Saturday, June 6, demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in the wake of the alleged lapses in the CBSE’s on-screen marking (OSM) system and the NEET paper leak case.
The protest, organised by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), saw a massive turnaround by midday and the crowd continued to swell as demand for accountability from the government in the Indian education system grew louder. The protest began as the party founder Abhijeet Dipke landed in the national capital from the United States.
The protest was joined by hundreds of students and parents seeking accountability in the Indian education system.
Speaking to Asian Dispatch, Ankita Jain, a third year student of philosophy from Jaipur, said, “I believe these demands are not just theirs, they are the demands of every ordinary citizen. In fact, I think these demands should have been raised much earlier. But even if they are being raised now, I feel that young people should stand together in support of them.”
Adding that the Central government and the State governments should coordinate better, Jain said, “Students should not be put in such difficult situations because of administrative failures.” She said that she has applied for CUET (Common University Entrance Test) in 2026 but her university exam dates clashed with the central exam dates because of which she had to miss the common entrance test.
Most protesters we spoke to said that they are only asking for accountability and transparency from the government. 21-year-old Aditya, who has recently graduated, said, “The [youth] is asking for simple things like accountability and transparency. Dharmendra Pradhan hasn’t taken responsibility for what has happened.”
On being asked about why he is he supporting the CJP protest, he said, “There is no youth representation in any political party, we need the young generation to come forward.”
The party has reportedly given the government a “seven-day” deadline, at the end of which they have warned that the agitation will expand across the country. Thanking the protesters for showing up in large numbers, Dipke called June 6’s demonstration a “trailer”.
Earlier during the protest, Dipke had said that his mother was very anxious when he was returning home for the protests. He said, “My mother and sister were scared that these people [the government] will throw me in jail,” adding, “Every mother whose child says anything against the government in this country feels this fear.”
The CJP started as an online satirical movement following the remarks made by Chief Justice Surya Kant. He had reportedly compared the unemployed youth of the country to “cockroaches”. However, he later said he was misquoted by the media.
The CJP gained 22.3 million followers, surpassing the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Instagram followers by 12.9 million.
The protest in the capital ended peacefully amid heavy police deployment. However, six people were detained as a precautionary measure to avoid confrontations between two groups [supporters and opposers of CJP] and maintain law and order.
