New Delhi: Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) continued its protest at Jantar Mantar till late Saturday evening after announcing that the agitation would be on until Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned over the NEET-UG paper leak controversy, even as Delhi Police denied permission to extend the demonstration.Police were seen taking some protesters away after the permitted protest period ended at 5pm. However, officers later said no one was detained.The second protest of CJP in Delhi, after its June 6 demonstration, was called on the grounds that central govt had not acted on the group’s demands.Addressing supporters, CJP chief Abhijeet Dipke said the organisation had held protests in several cities, including Pune, Lucknow, Amritsar, Bengaluru, Jaipur and Nagpur, and would continue its agitation until its demands were met.Around 4.30pm, Dipke announced that the protest would continue and appealed to supporters not to leave the venue. He also called upon more people to join the agitation. He said his team had sought permission from Delhi Police to continue the protest but later informed supporters that the request had not been accepted. “If you want us to leave, start a channel of communication between us and govt,” he said from the stage.Earlier, invoking a line from the Spider-Man films, Dipke told supporters that “with great power comes great responsibility”, and urged them to keep the protest peaceful and ensure women participants felt safe.The gathering also observed a two-minute silence in memory of students whose deaths were linked to examination-related pressures.Taking a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Go Corona Go” slogan during Covid-19, Dipke led supporters in raising slogans of “Go Pradhan Go” while beating thalis and spoons.The protest was also addressed by climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, who urged young people to keep raising issues affecting them. Wangchuk said that if the group’s demand remained unmet by next Saturday, he would join a hunger strike in support of the agitation.CJP functionaries said a “victory celebration” would be held in Bihar if Pradhan resigned. Dipke also appealed to young people not to “get trapped in the politics of religion and caste. Focus on the issues that affect your future and your rights”.
