Dipke, CJP supporters continue sit-in overnight at Jantar Mantar, urge people to join protest

Abhijeet Dipke and supporters continued an overnight protest at Jantar Mantar demanding the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET paper leak controversy. Protesters sought accountability, compensation for affected families, and broader education reforms

New Delhi: Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke, along with supporters, continued the sit-in protest at Jantar Mantar overnight, demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET paper leak controversy, and urged people to join the demonstration on Sunday.

The protest entered its second day as Dipke appealed to people to reach Jantar Mantar, while asking NEET re-exam aspirants to join the agitation after completing their test.

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“We are holding the fort but without your support this movement won’t be successful,” Dipke said as he urged people to join the protest on Sunday.

The demonstration has continued even after Delhi Police said the permission granted for the gathering ended at 5 pm on Saturday and asked the protesters to vacate the site.

Dipke asked police to assign a different site for the protest, but until then, they would continue their sit-in at Jantar Mantar.

In a series of posts on X, Dipke appealed to police not to stop people from coming to Jantar Mantar, saying the protesters were not doing anything wrong and were only seeking justice for students who died by suicide.

He also requested authorities to restore water supply to public restrooms at the protest site, claiming that there had been no water supply since Saturday night. The protesters had earlier alleged that lights at the site were switched off and access to water, food and washrooms was restricted.

They later said drinking water access was restored, and lights were switched back on.

The Delhi Police had on Saturday night directed Dipke and the protesters to vacate the venue, saying the demonstration had permission only from 10 am to 5 pm. The police said continuation beyond the permitted hours was a violation of the conditions of permission and warned of legal action.

As the night progressed, Dipke and the protesters remained at the site, turning the demonstration into an overnight sit-in. The protesters continued raising slogans demanding Pradhan’s resignation, and the protest site saw a steady presence of supporters through the night, with Dipke continuing to address the gathering and urging more people to join the demonstration.

Several protesters carried placards and raised slogans, and the atmosphere remained charged at Jantar Mantar.

Dipke said the protest would continue peacefully and reiterated his appeal for dialogue with the Centre, saying the channel for talks remained open if accountability was fixed and the education minister resigned.

The protest began on Saturday afternoon under heavy police deployment, CCTV surveillance, barricades and presence of security personnel wearing body cameras.

Hundreds of supporters, mostly youth, gathered at Jantar Mantar after Dipke’s call to bring “thali and chammach” and banged plates and spoons while raising slogans demanding Pradhan’s resignation.

Dipke has demanded a compensation of Rs 1 crore for the families of students who died by suicide following the paper leak and cancellation of the entrance examination.

“If there are arrests, I will be the first to court arrest,” he had told protesters.

Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, who joined the protest, had announced that he would go on a hunger strike on June 27 if Pradhan did not step down.

This was the second protest organised by CJP at Jantar Mantar over alleged repeated paper leaks and demands for accountability from the government.