CJP Pune Protest Live Updates: Founder Abhijeet Dipke arrives at SPPU campus
Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke on Thursday announced that the outfit would unveil an education manifesto during its protest in Pune, saying there was nothing unusual about a public movement evolving into a political party.
Speaking at a press conference ahead of the protest, Dipke said the manifesto would focus on preventing examination paper leaks and introducing reforms to strengthen India's education system.
Responding to comparisons with the Aam Aadmi Party, he said the CJP would learn from both others' mistakes and its own as it moved forward.
The protest is scheduled to be held near the Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar statue on the Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) campus at 4 pm. Dipke invited students and people across ideological lines to participate.
He said that before launching the CJP, he had been considering moving to the United States and applying for jobs there, but decided to stay in India after receiving overwhelming public support for the campaign.
Social activist Sonam Wangchuk is expected to attend the protest, which Dipke said would remain peaceful. Reiterating his willingness for dialogue, he said the group was ready to meet the government but alleged that its social media accounts were being shut down.
Social activists Aseem Sarode and Vishwambhar Choudhary extended support to the movement, stressing democratic participation, accountability and non-violent protest.
The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has announced a nationwide series of peaceful protests across major cities, expanding its campaign beyond Delhi. The outreach programme, titled Going National, will begin in Pune on June 11 and conclude with a gathering at Jantar Mantar in Delhi on June 20.
According to the schedule released by the organisation, protests will be held at Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) in Pune on June 11 at 4 pm, followed by a demonstration at Eco Garden in Lucknow on June 12 at 11 am.
The campaign will then move to Amritsar Gate in Amritsar on June 13 at 4 pm. On June 14, protests are planned at Dharna Chowk in Hyderabad at 10 am and at Freedom Park in Bengaluru at 4 pm.
Jaipur will host the next gathering at Shaheed Smarak on June 15 at 3 pm, before the campaign culminates in Delhi with a protest at Jantar Mantar on June 20.
The group has been organising demonstrations over issues related to competitive examinations and has recently gained visibility through social media campaigns and student-led protests across the country.
A guest teacher at a government school in Rohtak has been suspended days after she participated in a protest organised by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar.
The suspension order for teacher Sulekha Dalal, issued by the District Elementary Education Officer on Wednesday, is effective from June 8. However, the order does not mention any specific reason for the action. During the suspension period, she has been directed to report to the Rohtak Block Education Officer’s office as her headquarters and will not be allowed to leave without permission.
The action came after a video of Dalal speaking at the CJP protest went viral on social media. In the clip, she is seen describing the agitation as a “fight of do or die” and saying that she joined as a concerned mother affected by alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations.
Dalal later said she was not informed of the reason for her suspension and claimed she participated in the protest as a parent, as her son was also affected by exam-related issues. She added that she had no political affiliation.
A guest teacher is a contractual appointment used to fill temporary teaching vacancies in government schools.
The CJP had organised a protest at Jantar Mantar on June 6 over alleged examination irregularities and demanded accountability, including the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The group has recently gained attention through social media campaigns focused on education sector issues.
