New Delhi (PTI): Youth-led movement Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Thursday said it had secured Delhi Police's permission for its June 20 protest at Jantar Mantar seeking the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET paper leak controversy and examination-related issues.
Announcing the development, CJP spokesperson Saurav Das said students, parents, teachers and citizens from across the country would gather peacefully to demand accountability for paper leaks, irregularities in examinations and the growing number of student suicides.
"Cockroach Janta Party has just secured Delhi Police clearance for the June 20 protest at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi, after overcoming strong resistance," Das said on microblogging site X.
"Students, parents, teachers and citizens from across India will assemble peacefully to demand government accountability for paper leaks, examination failures and the growing number of student suicides," he said.
Das also appealed to artists, musicians, writers and students across the country to join the June 20 mobilisation.
Addressing the media earlier in the day, CJP spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka alleged that four NEET aspirants died by suicide in the last 24 hours and 11 students had died by suicide since the NEET paper leak issue came to light.
"Four families have been destroyed. Since the NEET paper leak, 11 students have died by suicide," Ranka said, demanding Rs 1 crore compensation for the families of the deceased students.
He reiterated the organisation's firm demand for Pradhan's resignation.
"Our position is clear. We want Dharmendra Pradhan to resign. We are coming again on June 20 for a protest because there has been no communication from the government," Ranka said.
He extended his wishes to students about to take the examination, expressing hope that by the time the exam process concludes, the education minister would have been replaced.
Ranka stated that Pradhan's continued leadership, despite the ongoing controversy, raises serious questions about democratic accountability.
In a statement issued later, the CJP claimed that five students had died by suicide in the last 48 hours in Alwar, Sikar, Dehradun, Coimbatore and Ahmedabad over the examination crisis.
"These deaths bring the total number of reported student and youth deaths linked to the ongoing crisis to 11. This is a national emergency," the statement said, demanding Rs 1 crore compensation for each affected family.
CJP said it remained open to dialogue with the government but alleged that there had been no outreach from the authorities despite weeks of protests and public appeals.
"We remain open to dialogue, but the silence is deeply concerning," it said.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke had earlier warned of an indefinite sit-in if the movement's demands were not met.
However, the organisation did not comment on the proposed indefinite protest in its latest statement announcing police clearance for the June 20 demonstration.
Founded by Dipke, CJP has emerged as a youth-led online movement that has campaigned on issues such as examination irregularities, unemployment and recruitment delays.
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This report was published from a syndicated wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.