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Newslaundry
Newslaundry
NL Team

Live: The Cockroach Janta Party is here

the Cockroach Janta Party Jantar Mantar Abhijeet Dipke Dharmendra Pradhan CJP Newslaundry

3 pm

The CJP protest has concluded for the day.

2:35 pm

Sonam Wangchuk is addressing the crowd.

As per reports, he had earlier said: “Government has not stopped this protest. We hope that this government allows such creative constructive expressions in the future as well,” while adding that “more than resignation, I want the government to take responsibility.”

2 pm

Our reporters have been on the ground since 8 am. Here are their first impressions.

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1:57 pm:

Dipke tells the gathering at Jantar Manta, “My mother was very scared that this government would throw me in jail. In this country, every mother feels this fear when their child raises their voice against this government. How long will we live in fear of this government?”

1:45 pm

Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk has arrived at Jantar Mantar. Speaking to Manisha Pande, he says his message to young people gathered there is to “participate, unite, and be that gentle force that is also firm and assertive.”

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1:25 pm

CJP volunteers have made a makeshift stage at Jantar Mantar, where Abhijeet Dipke is about to deliver an address.

1:15 pm

According to The Indian Express, Delhi Police have detained anti-CJP protesters attempting to enter the Jantar Mantar premises. These protesters were allegedly heard raising slogans like: “Delhi Police lath chalao, hum tumhare saath hain.” They also said, "If anyone goes plots against the country, we shall return. Eeth ka jawab patthar se denge..." Also, anti-CJP protesters raising 'Jai Shri Ram' slogans tried to enter the Jantar Mantar premises, but the police escorted them out.

1:03 pm

CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke says, “For the past 10-12 years, these people have kept us trapped in Hindu-Muslim politics—who benefited from this? Did Hindu-Muslim politics get jobs for anyone in the country?”

(Credit: The Quint)

12:25 pm

Listen to Pooja Arora, a mother from Delhi, who got her school-going daughter to the protest. She tells our reporter Basant Kumar, “Bilkul bekaar education system hai.”

12:15 pm

According to the Economic Times, police have increased security at Abhijeet Dipke's residence in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (formerly Aurangabad). However, an officer with the Maharashtra Police remarked that Dipke’s parents aren’t currently staying there.

11:45 am

Abhijeet Dipke raises slogans with protesters at Jantar Mantar. Most of the participants at the protest are students and young professionals.

11:30 am

While Instagram, X and YouTube are flooded with videos from the ground, India's mainstream television news channels seem to be watching an entirely different country.

At around 10:40 am, India Today was discussing whether Gen Z wants change. Aaj Tak was debating paper leaks and education issues. NDTV was busy with Karnataka politics and DK Shivakumar’s latest moves.

Now, all of these are legitimate news stories. But what's remarkable is what wasn't being shown. None of these channels appeared particularly interested in cutting to the live developments dominating social media feeds – namely, the crowd gathered at the CJP protest.

For years, television news has told us that social media is unreliable and chaotic. Yet on a day like today, if you wanted to know what was happening in real time at Jantar Mantar, you were more likely to find it on Instagram than on a news channel.

Hear what this ‘Cockroach’ has to say about our ‘dalaal media’:

Meanwhile, protesters raise slogans against Godi media.

11:20 am

Protesters gather en masse at Jantar Mantar. Check out our reporter Anmol Pritam’s dispatch from the ground.

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11:15 am

“Education is our right,” says a young protester at the CJP protest.

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10:30 am

CJP claims that “thousands” of protesters have gathered at Jantar Mantar to demand Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation.

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10:23 am

Dipke has reached Jantar Mantar.

9:20 am

Dipke is on his way to Jantar Mantar, and the protest demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan is expected to begin at 10 am.

9:15 am

Abhijeet Dipke arrives at the New Delhi airport ahead of the CJP protest.

9:10 am

According to The Indian Express' Mahender Singh Manral, “The 2,000-odd personnel who will be deployed in the New Delhi district have been directed to avoid confrontation with the protesters and to try to keep them calm through persuasion.”

8:56 am

Permission has been granted for the protest at Jantar Mantar.

Speaking to our reporter Anmol Pritam, CJP spokesperson Vijeta Dahiya said they had little trouble securing permission from the Delhi Police to gather at Jantar Mantar. While Dahiya expected a relatively low turnout, he urged attendees to remain vigilant and keep their live streams running to deter troublemakers from disrupting the event.

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8:48 am

Can the CJP’s 22 million Instagram followers translate into an offline movement? Follow Newslaundry’s coverage of the protest.

8:30 am

Earlier today, security was significantly tightened across Delhi in anticipation of a planned protest by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), led by founder Abhijeet Dipke, who landed in Delhi this morning.

Reports indicate that over 1,000 police personnel have been deployed, with surveillance intensified at city borders, transport hubs, and the airport. While authorities confirm that no formal permission for the demonstration at Jantar Mantar has been requested, security forces remain on high alert to prevent potential disruptions.

Supporters of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) are arriving at Jantar Mantar to protest the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak and serious discrepancies in the CBSE On-Screen Marking (OSM) system. CJP and its supporters are demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

Newslaundry is a reader-supported, ad-free, independent news outlet based out of New Delhi. Support their journalism, here.

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