Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke and his supporters continued their overnight sit-in protest at Jantar Mantar on Sunday, demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET paper leak controversy.
The protest entered its second day as Dipke appealed to people to join the demonstration and urged NEET re-exam candidates to participate after completing their examination.
"We are holding the fort but without your support this movement won't be successful," Dipke said while asking people to reach Jantar Mantar on Sunday.
The protest continued despite the Delhi Police informing organisers that the permission granted for the gathering had ended at 5 pm on Saturday and asking protesters to vacate the site.
Dipke requested the police to allot another location for the demonstration, but said the protesters would continue their sit-in at Jantar Mantar until then.
In a series of posts on X, Dipke appealed to police not to stop people from reaching the protest site, saying the demonstrators were not doing anything wrong and were only seeking justice for students who died by suicide.
He also requested authorities to restore water supply to public restrooms at the venue, claiming that there had been no water supply since Saturday night. Protesters had earlier alleged that lights at the site were switched off and access to water, food and washrooms was restricted.
The protesters later said drinking water access was restored and lights were switched back on.
The Delhi Police had on Saturday night directed Dipke and the protesters to vacate the venue, stating that the demonstration had permission only from 10 am to 5 pm. Police said continuation beyond the permitted hours was a violation of the conditions of permission and warned of legal action.
As the night progressed, Dipke and the protesters remained at Jantar Mantar, turning the demonstration into an overnight sit-in. Supporters continued raising slogans demanding Pradhan's resignation, while Dipke addressed the gathering and appealed to more people to join.
Several protesters carried placards and raised slogans, with the atmosphere remaining charged at the protest site.
Dipke said the protest would continue peacefully and reiterated his appeal for dialogue with the Centre, saying the channel for talks remained open if accountability was fixed and the education minister resigned.
The demonstration began on Saturday afternoon under heavy police deployment, CCTV surveillance, barricades and the presence of security personnel wearing body cameras.
Hundreds of supporters, mostly youth, gathered at Jantar Mantar after Dipke called for a "thali and chammach" protest. Protesters banged plates and spoons while raising slogans demanding Pradhan's resignation.
Dipke has demanded a compensation of Rs 1 crore for families of students who died by suicide following the paper leak and called for cancellation of the entrance examination.
"If there are arrests, I will be the first to court arrest," he had told protesters.
Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, who joined the protest, announced that he would go on a hunger strike on June 27 if Pradhan did not step down.
This was the second protest organised by CJP at Jantar Mantar over repeated paper leaks and demands for accountability from the government.
(With inputs from PTI)