New Delhi: What started as a satirical online reaction to comments he made regarding the Chief Justice of India spilled onto the streets of the capital on Saturday, three weeks later, with cockroach Janata Party (CJP) founder Abhijit Dubey leading a protest demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged irregularities in the examinations.While the protest passed off peacefully, with a large turnout, the CJP said it would wait for a week for the Center to sack Pradhan or seek his resignation. “If no action is taken, this movement will spread across the country,” a CJP statement said.Posting visuals of the packed protest site on his social media handle, Dipke wrote: “They said cockroaches will not come to the ground”.Dipke reached Delhi from Boston on Saturday morning. Supporters were asked to gather outside the Parliament Street police station, but the call was modified after the police gave permission for the protest at Jantar Mantar even before Deepke exited the IGI.

Not just Gen Z, crowds from different generations also gather at CJP protests

The supporters had by then started gathering outside the Parliament Street police station and were asked to move to Jantar Mantar through repeated announcements by the police. There was heavy police deployment, including RAF personnel, and several layers of barricades around the area. Water sprinklers were on standby.As the hours passed the crowd increased. By 11 am the site was completely packed. This is known as the Gen Z movementHowever, the protests at Jantar Mantar attracted people across generations. Apart from school children and college students, parents, job aspirants, working professionals and older people also joined the movement. Common perception: The system has become increasingly unresponsive, and repeated exam leaks have undermined public confidence in institutions. Senior citizens, professionals and children of farmers came from different states to participate in it.Environment activist Sonam Wangchuk was also present along with CJP members and supporters. Wangchuk had earlier announced that he would fast for six weeks if Dipke was arrested.People gathered peacefully carrying the tricolor, copies of the Constitution and other books, and placards demanding accountability. Many participants wore cockroach masks, carried flowers and wore T-shirts bearing the movement’s symbol. As supporters waited for Deepke’s arrival, slogans of “Vande Mataram”, “Shame” and “Dharmendra Pradhan resign” echoed at the venue. The demonstration also received support from university campuses, with members of various student unions and student groups coming out in support.The protest ended at around 3.30 pm after Deepke’s health deteriorated.The BJP called it “negative politics”, while the Congress said its youth wing had done a lot for the welfare of students. The movement has been supported by AAP, Samajwadi Party, Trinamool Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and Left parties, among others.Pandurang Jadhav, 50, who traveled more than 1,300 km from Pune to take part in the protests, said he fears for the future of his two sons, aged 17 and 21. “My children have lost faith in the system. Every few months there is some controversy – sometimes paper leaks, sometimes glitches in the CBSE system. I have come here for their future,” said Jadhav, a financial analyst.Sajeev Kumar, 24, from Jaunpur, said he changed several trains and traveled for about 10 hours for the protest.The youngest participant was Abhimanyu of class three who wore a cockroach-style face mask and came with his elder brother. “All I know is that the paper was leaked and responsibility for it should be taken and the education minister should resign,” he said.Many participants described the protests as extending beyond exam leaks.For 83-year-old retired driver Itwari Lal Mathur, the issue was very personal. “Young people are losing hope. Children are suffering because of these failures. Who will bring back the lives lost due to such pressures?”There was brief chaos at the protest site when some people allegedly raised slogans against CJP supporters. Police personnel intervened and detained three people.