Cockroach Janata Party protests at Delhi's Jantar Mantar demand Education Minister's resignation

The Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) began a sit‑in protest at New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar on June 20, calling for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The movement, founded by 30‑year‑old Abhijeet Dipke after the chief justice likened unemployed youth to “cockroaches,” quickly grew on social media to over 22 million followers and has turned into a physical demonstration.

Protesters, many of them students and recent graduates, allege irregularities and paper leaks in the NEET medical‑entrance exam and demand accountability for the re‑test. Activist Sonam Wangchuk has been on a hunger strike for nine days, losing about 6 kg, while other groups such as the All India Students’ Association and the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union have also staged indefinite fasts. The CJP accused police of photographing women volunteers at the site. The protest has attracted support from various political leaders, civil‑society figures and Ambedkar‑inspired groups, while the ruling BJP has remained largely silent.