Cockroach Janta Party to launch nationwide protest on Thursday, warns of indefinite sit-in

The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Wednesday announced a nationwide agitation beginning in Pune on June 11 and warned of an indefinite sit-in at Delhi's Jantar Mantar from June 20 if Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan does not resign.

The group said in a statement that protests will be held across several cities, including Pune, Lucknow, Amritsar, Bengaluru, Jaipur and Hyderabad, while CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said in a post on X that climate activist Sonam Wangchuk will join the Pune demonstration on Thursday.

The CJP said protests will continue until Pradhan steps down, alleging repeated failures in the conduct of examinations and demanding accountability from the minister.

Calling it a national issue affecting millions of students and families, the group said, "Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has failed to take responsibility for these repeated failures. Accountability must begin at the top. That is why we reiterate our demand: Dharmendra Pradhan should resign."

It said if the government fails to act on the demand, "the youth of this country will gather together on June 20 at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi for an indefinite peaceful sit-in protest till the minister resigns".

Describing itself as a movement to defend the integrity of India's education system, the CJP invited students, parents, teachers and citizens to join what it called a nationwide struggle for accountability and justice.

The announcement came days after the CJP organised a protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on June 6, where students and young people from different parts of the country gathered to press for accountability over alleged irregularities in competitive examinations and to seek Pradhan's resignation.

The group has gained visibility in recent weeks through social media campaigns centred on examination-related issues and has sought to position itself as a youth-led platform advocating reforms in the education sector.

Organisers had described the June 6 mobilisation as the beginning of a larger nationwide campaign, with Wednesday's announcement outlining the next phase of protests across multiple cities and a proposed indefinite sit-in in the national capital.