Might get arrested: CJP founder at Jantar Mantar protest

New Delhi: Amid Cockroach Janta Party’s protest at Jantar Mantar on Saturday, June 20, founder Abhijeet Dipke said that he might be arrested by the police but appealed to people not to stop the protest.

Earlier, Delhi Police had denied permission to CJP to continue its protest at Jantar Mantar, even as Dipke asserted that he will not move from the site until the education minister resigns.

Police asked CJP supporters to vacate the site where a large number of students and others have been demonstrating over alleged examination irregularities, repeated paper leaks and demands for accountability from the government.

On the other hand, Dipke had appealed to supporters to join the ongoing protest at Jantar Mantar at 6 pm, expressing confidence that the police would grant permission for the extension.

Dipke said, “I request the authorities… since youth from all over the country is here. They want to sit here till we get justice. (I) request Delhi Police to extend our permission. The protest has been peaceful; we are just innocent students who want to sit here.”

The youth leader also said that the channel for dialogue is open, but the “only condition is that Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan should resign”.

He also requested Delhi Police to “open a dialogue with the Centre” and asserted, “If there are arrests, I will be the first to court arrest.”

The protest started earlier in the day amid heavy police deployment as students sloganeered and held placards seeking answers from the government over alleged failures in ensuring transparent examinations and protecting the interests of aspirants.

Supporters responded to Dipke’s call to bring “thali and chammach” (plates and spoons), using them as symbols of protest and banging them during the demonstration. Chants of “Dharmendra Pradhan must resign” echoed at the venue, as protesters renewed their demand for accountability over issues related to examination management.

(With inputs from PTI.)