Scenes from CJP's protest elsewhere in the country. Photo: Instagram/Cockroach Janata Party
CJP enters South with Hyderabad and Bengaluru protests
With actor Prakash Raj leading artists and activists in Bengaluru, and Sonam Wangchuk joining the Hyderabad protest, CJP brings its NEET paper leak stir to South
The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) held its first protest in Bengaluru at Freedom Park on Sunday (June 14) evening, drawing students, job seekers and activists from across Karnataka despite a drizzle and overcast consitions.
The demonstration, which began at 4 pm, was part of the party's ongoing nationwide campaign demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak.
Support from all quarters
Actor and activist Prakash Raj was the headline draw at the Bengaluru protest. Earlier, he confirmed his participation on X, “I am travelling to reach Bengaluru .. to support this relevant peaceful protest.. please join us to raise our voice and make the government accountable for its failure.”
The CJP had earlier expected him at their Delhi protest at Jantar Mantar, but he could not make it. Bengaluru, his home city, is where he shows up.
He was not alone. Standing alongside him were wildlife filmmaker and conservationist Krupakar BS, fellow wildlife filmmaker Senanini Hege, actor Kiran Srinivas, and environmentalist and author Nagesh Hegde.
The party held its first major physical protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi on June 6. It then moved to Pune on June 11, Lucknow on June 12, and Amritsar on June 13.
Sunday saw two protests, at Hyderabad's Dharna Chowk at 10 am, and Bengaluru at 4 pm, making it the CJP's first twin-city day and its deepest push into the south. Climate activist and educationist Sonam Wangchuk joined the protest in Hyderabad after joining the first one in Delhi on June 6.
What they are asking for
The CJP's central demand is the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak, which the party says has devastated the futures of lakhs of students across the country. The movement has also flagged alleged irregularities in CBSE's on-screen marking system and raised concerns over recurring paper leaks in competitive exams.
Boards at protests carried statements like, "Let students' future shine. The education minister must resign." The CJP has been clear that it rejects religious politics, invoking the images of Bhagat Singh and BR Ambedkar to anchor its message in democratic and constitutional values. Its founder, Abhijeet Dipke, has described the movement as a push for transparency, accountability, and civic engagement, including the filing of RTIs.
Also Read: Cockroach Janta Party linked to AAP? Founder Abhijeet Dipke’s past ties raise questions
In Pune, he put the choice squarely to Prime Minister Narendra Modi — "one crore students or one incompetent minister." In Lucknow, he said, "We will continue the protest until the education minister resigns. I only want to appeal to the students to continue peaceful protest and join the mass mobilisation at Jantar Mantar on June 20."
At Amritsar, he raised the stakes further: "We will all go to Delhi on June 20 and camp there till the time Dharmendra Pradhan resigns. Do not be afraid to go to jail. The main objective is to provide justice to NEET and CBSE students. Accountability must be fixed. Paper leaks can't go on."
From the ground
Now, in Bengaluru, the CJP supporters gathered despite the rain. Abhijeet Dipke took to X to share a video from the protest site.
Saurav Das, a spokesperson of CJP, speaking to The Hindu from Freedom Park, said, “It started with a single tweet by Abhijeet Dipke, which led to this movement. We are challenging everyone, including the Supreme Court and the CJI who called us cockroach."
Videos circulating on social media showed crowds of around 500 people across the two venues, with demonstrators holding placards and raising slogans against the education minister.
Road that led here, the one ahead
The CJP was founded on May 16, 2026, by Dipke, a 30-year-old public relations student at Boston University, after Chief Justice of India Surya Kant drew widespread outrage for likening unemployed youth to "cockroaches" and "parasites of society."
What started as a satirical online movement, which amassed over 2.27 crore Instagram followers in weeks, has been steadily finding its feet on the street.
Also Read: Cockroach Janata Party to unveil education manifesto during Pune protest
The CJP has its eye on a culminating protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on June 20, which the party has described as the final and most significant demonstration of the campaign.
Jaipur shuts the gate
Not every stop on the CJP's route has been smooth. The party's planned protest in Jaipur on June 15 has hit a wall. Rajasthan Police denied permission, and the CJP posted on Instagram: "Cockroach Janta Party is struggling to get permission for its 15th June protest in Jaipur. Now, party founder Abhijeet Dipke will personally go and seek permission on the morning of 15th June itself."
CJP member Ashutosh Ranka, an IIT Kanpur alumnus, did not hold back. "The Rajasthan police, which took us around for four days, refused permission one day before the protest," he said.
"While peaceful protests were held across the country, what was Rajasthan police afraid of? You have allowed multiple papers to be leaked. You must answer for that. Peaceful protest is our fundamental right. We will meet at the martyrs' memorial on June 15."