As the protest demanding his resignation entered its seventh day on Friday, Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijit Debke marked Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s birthday with a message addressed to Jantar Mantar.
In a video, Debaki is seen writing on a whiteboard, “Happy birthday, Pradhan. Please resign,” while supporters sing a Christmas song in the background.
After writing the letter, Deepki said: “A very happy birthday to you, Dharmendra Pradhan. Do us a favor and resign. As a birthday gift, we can even send you a resignation letter – all you have to do is put your thumb on it.”
Debki’s sit-in at Jantar Mantar
Debki has been leading protests at Jantar Mantar in Delhi, demanding Pradhan’s resignation over alleged irregularities in competitive exams and the NEET paper leak controversy. The founder of the Justice and Development Party refused to leave the protest site, as the sit-in entered its seventh day.
On the fifth day of the protest, Debke appeared before a committee of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) over the blocking of the group’s X account. He said the authorities did not explain why the account was blocked and wondered why similar secrecy was not maintained in the NEET paper leak case.
“Everything is confidential, and you should have kept the NEET paper secret as well. Why did this leak? These suicides would not have happened,” he said.
Targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Debki said: “The Prime Minister cannot resign but he claims to have stopped the war between Russia and Ukraine. Can he stop the paper leaks?”
He added that he holds Pradhan responsible for the students’ deaths: “Who is responsible for the suicides? It is Dharmendra Pradhan.”
At least 17 students have reportedly died due to suicide due to the problem of NEET paper leakage.
Debke, who has repeatedly said that the group is ready to hold talks with the government if Pradhan resigns, claimed that the Center had not made any outreach.
“They call us terrorists instead,” he said.
“Are we demanding votes? We are demanding justice. We are taxpayers, our parents are taxpayers, and you call us terrorists. Aren’t you ashamed?”
Sonam Wangchuk announces hunger strike
Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk on Thursday announced that he will begin an indefinite hunger strike in Jantar Mantar from June 28 if the government fails to respond to demands related to the leak of alleged NEET papers.
In a video posted on website
Wangchuk, who is currently in Geneva, released a video from the protest area outside the UN office at the Palais des Nations, describing it as the global equivalent of Delhi’s Jantar Mantar for peaceful demonstrations.
Standing near the famous Broken Chair monument, he said accountability in education and environmental governance remained his main demands. “I am currently in the Jantar Mantar area of Geneva, which is the area in front of the United Nations where full permission is given for demonstrations,” he said in a video posted on X.
Urging the Center to address the issue, he said, “If I do not receive a response on any of these issues by Saturday, I will go on a hunger strike with all of you.”
Wangchuk has supported Debki and the CJP’s demand for Pradhan’s resignation since the protests began. He appeared at the group’s first protest on June 6, and several others since then.
