"The protest against the government will not stop until Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan accepts responsibility and resigns from his post," said Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), while addressing a protest at Samvidhan Square on Tuesday over the NEET (UG) examination controversy. He also called upon students and parents to join the mega protest in New Delhi to demand resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan on June 20, Wearing cockroach masks, carrying placards and raising slogans demanding accountability, thousands of youths, students and citizens from different walks of life participated in the demonstration organised by the CJP. Addressing the gathering, Dipke urged young people to stay away from religion-based politics and focus on issues directly affecting their future.

 

He also launched a strong attack on Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for failing to meet family of Akansha Chaturvedi, a NEET aspirant from Madhya Pradesh who commited suicide in city after the examination was cancelled amid allegations of irregularities. He said students deserved justice and accountability. The protest was the latest in a series of agitations organised by the CJP, a satirical collective that has recently evolved into a political movement. The event also witnessed tense moments when a group of individuals wearing saffron stoles arrived at the venue and raised slogans against the CJP. They accused the organisation of misleading youths and questioned why similar protests had not been held during previous examination controversies. Verbal exchanges took place between the two groups, though the situation remained under control. Police had made elaborate security arrangements at Samvidhan Square in anticipation of the protest.

 

Earlier in the day, Dipke addressed a press conference and responded to the attack on him on Monday. He described the incident as a reflection of the growing frustration and unemployment among the country's youth. Dipke also reacted to Fadnavis's reported description of him as an ‘anarchist,’ Dipke said that if standing up for Akansha Chaturvedi is anarchist then he is an anarchist. Dipke reiterated that he would continue to stand with students and job-seekers irrespective of political consequences. 

 

The large turnout at the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest at Samvidhan Square on Tuesday led to significant traffic congestion in central Nagpur, with normal traffic movement taking nearly two hours to resume after the demonstration concluded. Although the protest was organised at the designated venue near Vidhan Sabha, the crowd spilled over to the road median between Samvidhan Square and Sitabuldi, reducing available carriageway space and slowing vehicular movement. Traffic on several stretches in the vicinity was brought to a near standstill during peak protest hours.The diversion of vehicles from the protest site further increased traffic pressure on adjoining roads, leading to congestion across nearby streets. Commuters, faced lengthy delays as traffic remained affected well beyond the conclusion of the protest before gradually returning to normal.