Hundreds of protesters gathered at Delhi's Jantar Mantar on Saturday under the banner of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged irregularities in examinations and recruitment tests, with founder Abhijeet Dipke delivering the message not to be "scared".
Dipke, who called for the protest, arrived in Delhi from the United States on Saturday morning. After receiving permission from the Delhi Police, he reached Jantar Mantar, where crowds were gathering since morning.
Protesters, armed with posters demanding Pradhan's resignation, were seen wearing cockroach masks, which were being distributed at the venue.
Besides demanding the education minister's resignation, the protesters also raised slogans demanding that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) stop indulging in "Hindu-Muslim" politics and hailed the motherland with "Bharat Mata ki Jai" slogans.
Dipke instructed them to only raise slogans hailing the country, Mahatma Gandhi and B R Ambedkar, while opposing communal politics. He was later joined by climate activist Sonam Wangchuk.
CPI(ML) Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, CPI's Annie Raja and activists from Left student and youth organisations also participated in the protest.
Addressing the gathering, Dipke slammed the Centre for cracking down on the group's social media activities instead of addressing their demands.
"My friends, this is a long struggle. It has been a month since we started demanding Pradhan's resignation on social media, but these individuals are so shameless that instead of taking action, they have been focused on other distractions, like hacking our accounts and getting our posts deleted. You may be able to delete our posts, but you cannot erase us from this space," he said.
The CJP founder said his mother cried more on his return than when he had left for the US, as she feared his arrest on coming back to India.
"This is not just the fear of my mother, this is the fear of the parents of any youngster who speaks on politics.... How long will we live in fear? Tell them, we are not scared," he said.
Recalling his arrival in India from the US earlier in the day, Dipke said just before his flight was about to land in Delhi, he felt as though he was living his last moments of freedom. "I was fully prepared to sacrifice my freedom for this cause," he said.
The CJP founder claimed that many people have compromised themselves and 'sold out' due to the fear of imprisonment. "Lekin is desh ka chatra, yuva nahi bika hai (The youth and students of this country have not sold themselves)," he said amid loud cheers from the crowd.
Slamming communal politics, Dipke asked, "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?"
Many of the protesters were seen wearing cockroach masks and holding flowers. School students were also seen attending the protest along with their parents. The protestors chanted slogans demanding the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan.
Upon landing in Delhi, in a message posted on his X handle, Dipke expressed excitement to meet his supporters while also urging them to lead the agitation with "love and peace."
He also urged them to carry a book and the tricolour.
"Landed. Looking forward to meet you all at Jantar Mantar. Do not forget to carry a book and our Tiranga! Offer flowers to policemen as a gesture of compassion & gratitude. We have to lead this movement with love and peace!" he wrote in a post on X.
Earlier, the CJP supporters were urged to come to Parliament Street Police Station to jointly seek permission for the protest. However, later the CJP informed that the Delhi Police had granted permission for the protest, and asked the supporters to gather at Jantar Mantar.
"Delhi Police has granted permission for the protest at Jantar Mantar. We can now assemble directly at Jantar Mantar, and no longer need to go to the Parliament Street Police Station, as originally planned," the CJP said in a post on X.
"Cockroaches aa rahe hain, Dharmendra Pradhan jaa rahe hain (cockroaches are coming, Dharmendra Pradhan is leaving)" it added.
Meanwhile, police personnel have been deployed at the residence of Abhijeet Dipke in Waluj MIDC area of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar city in Maharashtra. Police said the security cover has been expanded to avoid unnecessary crowding at the residence.
Security arrangements have also been strengthened across Delhi, including at the IGI Airport, major railway stations, inter-state bus terminals, and border points connecting the national capital with neighbouring states.
Around 40 companies of paramilitary forces have been deployed to assist the Delhi Police in maintaining law and order, sources said.
Senior officers, including Joint Commissioners of Police, Deputy Commissioners of Police, Additional DCPs and ACPs from various districts, have been assigned field duties to supervise security arrangements.
The CJP, a digital platform launched by Dipke in response to the NEET-UG question paper leak, has garnered significant support online, mainly from the country's youth.
The group aims to step up from a satirical online platform to an organised campaign with the proposed protest at the Jantar Mantar, demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, over alleged irregularities in NEET, CBSE, CUET, and SSC examinations.
Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk expressed support for the protest and stated that he would undertake a six-week fast if Dipke is arrested.
More than 1,000 police personnel have been earmarked for deployment across the New Delhi district and other strategic locations as part of preventive security measures, sources said.
Multiple layers of barricading were put in place at sensitive locations, while vehicle-checking drives were intensified on routes leading to central Delhi and other strategic points in the city.
Officials said that security was also strengthened outside the residence of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan as a precautionary measure.
According to police sources, senior officers reviewed the security situation and directed field units to remain vigilant.
Reserve forces have been kept on standby to deal with any contingency.
The Special Branch is monitoring developments across all districts to ensure that no one attempts to disturb public order under the guise of the protest, officials said.
Social media activity linked to the gathering is also being closely monitored.
Police are also in touch with private cab aggregators to assess movement patterns and monitor any unusual surge in bookings towards Jantar Mantar and nearby areas, sources said.
Officials informed that metro services would continue to operate normally, while adequate arrangements had been made to ensure smooth movement of commuters and prevent any disruption to public life.
Police maintained that sufficient security arrangements were in place and that the situation remained under control.
The Delhi High Court had on Friday declined to urgently hear a plea flagging law and order concerns over the protest.
(With inputs from PTI)