Thousands defy barricades at Jantar Mantar as CJP heads for Parliament; wife Gitanjali Angmo to lead in his absence
New Delhi, July 20 – Security forces ringed Jantar Mantar through the night as the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) prepared to lead thousands of supporters on a “Sansad Chalo” march to Parliament on Monday , a demonstration made more volatile by the forced removal of its central figure, Ladakhi activist Sonam Wangchuk.
Wangchuk, who had been fasting at the protest site since June 28 in solidarity with CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, was taken away by Delhi Police on July 18 as his hunger strike entered its 21st day, with authorities citing a High Court order and the need for “medical intervention.” His wife, Gitanjali Angmo, later said his potassium levels had dropped sharply overnight in hospital and accused doctors of blocking an independent blood test.
With Wangchuk absent, Dipke and Angmo are now set to lead Monday’s march. Delhi Police said no permission had been granted for the procession, and metro authorities shut several central Delhi stations, including Rajiv Chowk and Central Secretariat, as a precaution.
The protest, running since May, originally demanded the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged NEET paper leaks and irregularities in CBSE’s on-screen marking system. Since Wangchuk’s removal, Dipke has escalated the demand to include Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s resignation, calling the police action a “despicable act.”
CJP itself began as satire: Dipke, a former Aam Aadmi Party strategist, launched the “platform for all the cockroaches” in May after Chief Justice of India Surya Kant likened unemployed youth to cockroaches and “parasites of society.” It has since drawn crowds in the tens of thousands.
Dipke has insisted the march will remain peaceful, wary of the movement being discredited
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