Exclusive | Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke protests: ‘He’s not here for just one resignation’ | Today’s news
Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP) protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged irregularities in NEET-UG 2026 entered its eleventh day on Tuesday, June 30.
The protest has support from Ladakh-based activist Sonam Wangchuk, who is on hunger strike at the same location among hundreds of supporters.
Dipke started a protest at Jantar Mantar on 20 June. Since then, even though he has a sore throat, he seems to be steadfast in his resolve.
The only problem for now, according to Dipke, is the drop in Wangchuk’s sugar levels on the third day of the hunger strike on Tuesday.
In an exclusive interview with LiveMint at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said the movement was not limited to a protest or demand for a single resignation, but was aimed at changing India’s “political discourse”. He added that the campaign sought to bring about major reforms and would continue to fulfill these goals in the future.
The CJP founder said the removal of Pradhan would mark the CJP’s first victory if the demand is met.
“We are not here just for a protest or just one resignation. We are here to change the political discourse of India. We are here for some fundamental reforms that we will continue to work on,” Dipke told LiveMint.
“If Pradhan is sacked, it will be the first victory for the CJP and this is just the beginning,” he claimed.
Dipke mentioned that the demand for resignation was only the first step and noted that the movement aims to restore a culture of accountability in the country.
Read also | CJP continues overnight at Jantar Mantar, Dipke urges people to join
He stressed that the country has witnessed a lack of accountability in the last decade, despite repeated student tragedies. He claimed that about 20 students had lost their lives but no one accepted responsibility, adding that student suicides were continuing and stressed the need to address the situation.
Dipke criticizes Delhi Police
Dipke alleged that the Delhi Police was not cooperating with the protesters and accused them of trying to weaken their morale by violating their basic human rights. He claimed that the action of the police constituted a violation of basic human rights.
Read also | Sonam Wangchuk is on hunger strike from Sunday
“The Delhi Police is not cooperating at all. They are trying to break our morale by violating basic human rights,” Dipke said.
“For example, first, they stopped our drinking water at the barricades. Second, the people who were bringing drinking water, at 9 or 10 at night, the Delhi police go to their homes and ask where are you bringing water from? When the water came here, the police harassed the taxi drivers. They asked where are you coming from? Who pays for the water? Who pays for the water?” he asked.
Dipke further alleged that the Delhi Police interrogated people who supported the protest, including a tea vendor, and created difficulties by restricting access to basic facilities such as clean washrooms and water.
Read also | Wangchuk invites people to join his hunger strike for a day at Jantar Mantar
“Secondly, yesterday there was a tea seller who runs a small tea business. He invited me to tea at Jantar Mantar itself. He gives tea to many people for free. So I went to his tea stall. After that, I learned that the police went to his house at night, to his meeting, and asked why are you giving tea? As for the washrooms, we can’t wash, we wash volunteers.” the washrooms are still very dirty, the police are stopping the water from there,” said Dipke.
Read also | CJP Protest: How India’s maker economy found a new stage at Jantar Mantar
He alleged that the Delhi Police prevented the installation of a portable toilet for Sonam Wangchuk, forced the protesters to agitate, and accused the force of violating basic human rights to undermine their morale.
“And when we asked for a washroom Sonam, because the washrooms are not functional, we didn’t ask, we arranged a portable washroom. Even that was refused by the police. They refused all day yesterday. At 2 or 3 in the morning we had to protest. The police came outside the stall and asked where is the washroom? So, the Delhi police just came back and they are violating our human rights and violating human rights. From USA on 6th. in June after completing a master’s degree in communication.
