More Than 300 Students Came Together In Pune To Kick Off Cockroach Janta Party’s Protest Against New Exam System

The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) held an official event for the nationwide protest movement on Thursday afternoon, with nearly 300 protesters turning out on the campus of Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU). The student-led agitation has called for an overhaul of the education system and the immediate resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, following a series of incidents of malpractice in examinations.

CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke announced that the peaceful agitation, which is constitutionally framed, is happening at the time of the release of the organisation's dedicated "education manifesto. The manifesto directly addresses students' complaints about the leak of question papers, delayed declaration of results, transparency in entrance exams, and the need to ensure strict accountability of examination authorities.

Climate change activist Sonam Wangchuk was also present at the event in Pune and launched a joint video call with Dipke, urging people and students to join in the movement for educational accountability and trust.

The event in Pune is the first of a series of mobilisations across cities. The campaign will then visit key urban centres such as Jaipur, Lucknow, Amritsar and Bengaluru and finally meet in a grand finale at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on June 20. The group has said the protests are ongoing and will not end until the political accountability for the government is achieved and the problems in the national examination system are fixed.