‘Cockroach Janta Party’ holds protest in Delhi demanding resignation of education minister

The satire-driven digital group draws large security attention as it takes its campaign offline

Delhi police have permitted a protest by the social media platform “Cockroach Janta Party” at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, NDTV has said.

The demonstration has been called to demand the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET paper leak issue, the report said on Saturday.

According to the Indian news outlet, the group’s founder Abhijeet Dipke reached New Delhi from the United States on Friday to lead the protest.

Police officials met him at the airport and allowed him to proceed to Jantar Mantar, it added.

Dipke had earlier asked supporters to assemble at the Parliament Street Police Station to seek permission for the protest.

Following clearance from authorities, he reportedly urged them to gather directly at Jantar Mantar instead.

He was seen arriving at the airport carrying a copy of BR Ambedkar’s autobiography.

NDTV reported that Delhi Police have deployed around 2,000 personnel in and around the protest site as part of heightened security arrangements.

A pamphlet distributed at the venue stated that the protest was aimed at “demanding accountability, seeking justice, and calling for education minister Pradhan’s resignation”.

It also claimed the campaign’s petition had gathered more than 800,000 signatures.

The “Cockroach Janta Party”, a satirical digital initiative, was launched on May 16 by Dipke following a controversy linked to remarks attributed to Chief Justice of India Surya Kant.

The platform quickly gained traction online, amassing millions of followers across social media, NDTV reported.