‘You Cannot Erase Us’: Abhijeet Dipke Leads Delhi Protest, Demands For Dharmendra Pradhan’s Resignation

Hundreds of students and young people gathered at Jantar Mantar in Delhi on Saturday to demand accountability over alleged irregularities in examinations and recruitment tests, while Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke accused the government of focusing on the organisation's social media activity instead of addressing its demands, including the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

The protest, organised by the youth-led online movement, was held amid heightened security arrangements across the national capital. According to PTI, participants called for action over alleged irregularities in examinations and recruitment tests, including NEET, CBSE, CUET and SSC, while reiterating demands for Pradhan's resignation.

Addressing supporters at the venue, Dipke said the movement had been seeking the minister's resignation through social media for the past month.

"My friends, this is a long struggle. It has been a month since we started demanding Pradhan's resignation on social media, but these individuals are so shameless that instead of taking action, they have been focused on other distractions, like hacking our accounts and getting our posts deleted. You may be able to delete our posts, but you cannot erase us from this space," Dipke stated during his address to the crowd, which energetically supported his words.

He also said activist Sonam Wangchuk would be joining the protest shortly and thanked him for his support.

Recalling his arrival at Indira Gandhi International Airport earlier on Saturday, Dipke said that just before his flight was about to land, he felt as though he was living his last moments of freedom.

"I was fully prepared to sacrifice my freedom for this cause," he said.

The CJP founder claimed that many people had compromised themselves and "sold out" due to the fear of imprisonment.

"Lekin is desh ka chatra, yuva nahi bika hai (The youth and students of this country have not sold themselves)," he said amid loud cheers from the crowd.

According to PTI, hundreds of people, mostly young individuals, attended the demonstration, many wearing cockroach masks and holding flowers. School students were also seen at the protest with their parents.

The majority of participants were school and college students, along with young professionals. Scores of students gathered at the venue, chanting slogans and demanding Pradhan's resignation.

Dipke, who arrived in Delhi early in the day, had urged supporters to maintain discipline and ensure that the protest remained peaceful.

Activist Sonam Wangchuk, who has also expressed support for the protest, said he would undertake a six-week fast if Dipke is arrested.

In a post on X, Dipke expressed excitement about meeting supporters at Jantar Mantar and encouraged them to bring a book and the national flag. He also urged participants to offer flowers to police personnel as a "gesture of compassion and gratitude", emphasising that the movement should be led with "love and peace".

PTI reported that security was heightened across the national capital ahead of the protest. Police officials said additional personnel had been deployed at Indira Gandhi International Airport, border entry points and other sensitive locations.

More than 1,000 police personnel were allocated for deployment across New Delhi and other strategic locations as a precaution.

In the lead-up to the protest, the CJP circulated guidelines urging participants to maintain non-violent conduct and avoid confrontation. Dipke reiterated those instructions in his latest appeal, emphasising respectful engagement with law enforcement personnel during the demonstration.

(With inputs from PTI)