ISLAMABAD: A protest led by India's satirical “Cockroach Janata Party” (CJP) entered its 10th day on Monday, with demonstrators at New Delhi's Jantar Mantar maintaining pressure on Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to resign over the controversy surrounding the NEET-UG medical entrance examination.
Hundreds of students, young professionals and job seekers have continued their sit-in, arguing that the issue has grown beyond allegations of paper leaks to become a broader demand for accountability in India's education system.
The campaign, led by CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, has gained momentum in recent days, drawing support from opposition parties, including the Congress party, which has also demanded Pradhan's resignation.
In a series of posts on X, Dipke highlighted the families of four students who allegedly died by suicide, saying they had been left “begging for justice.” He claimed that after speaking with their families, he learned that no government representative had contacted them to express regret over the deaths.
“You can't bring their children back, but the very least you can do is express regret and apologise to their families. Is that too much to ask?” Dipke wrote.
In another post, Dipke shared a video of the father of NEET aspirant Kahaan Patel, who allegedly died by suicide on June 18, travelling from Gujarat to Delhi to seek answers from Pradhan.
The activist further alleged that Delhi Police had refused permission for a portable toilet for environmental activist Sonam Wangchuk, who is observing a hunger strike at the protest site, and claimed that public toilets at Jantar Mantar had no water supply. Delhi Police has not publicly responded to the allegation.
Another video shared by Dipke showed hundreds of protesters chanting slogans against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), with the activist writing: "Hindu-Muslim politics has given us nothing but unemployment and paper leaks."
The Congress party also stepped up its campaign against the government, accusing it of failing students affected by repeated examination controversies.
In a statement posted on X, the party said the "paper leak system" under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government had "trampled the future of students" and vowed to continue protests until Pradhan resigns.
The protest follows the controversy surrounding the NEET-UG examination, one of India's most competitive medical entrance tests, after allegations of a paper leak prompted authorities to cancel the original results and conduct a fresh nationwide examination under enhanced security measures.
While the National Testing Agency said the re-examination was completed smoothly, with no complaints of paper leaks, protesters say their movement is now focused on accountability for what they describe as repeated failures in the education system.
The Education Ministry and the BJP have not publicly responded to the latest calls for Pradhan's resignation.
