Cockroach Janta Party founder Dipke lands in Delhi today, police prepare for protest

The 2,000-odd personnel who will be deployed in the New Delhi district have been directed to avoid confrontation with the protesters and to try to keep them calm through persuasion, sources said.

The district will be divided into 12 zones, each of which will be headed by a DCP-rank officer.

Police will step up deployment outside the homes of VIPs including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who has been targeted by the protesters.

Abhijeet Dipke, who started the ‘Cockroach Janta Party’ Instagram and X handles that became a phenomenon within days of their launch last month, is expected to arrive in Delhi from the United States on Saturday morning.

On Friday evening, spokespersons for the “youth pressure group” gave a call for a protest at Jantar Mantar to demand the resignation of Pradhan. “6 June, 9 am…Get ready to swarm the streets of Delhi with peaceful and loving dissent”, they posted on X.

The Indian Express has learnt that police have issued an internal communication to all district and unit DCPs, alerting them of possible heavy mobilisation, traffic disruption and law-and-order issues in parts of the capital on Saturday.

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Until Friday night, the CJP had not officially sought permission from the police to hold the protest at Jantar Mantar. However, police were open to granting permission even on Saturday, sources said.

“There is a possibility that they will seek permission on Saturday morning, and it has been decided so far to give them permission after taking a proper undertaking. All districts, especially North, Central, Southeast, Southwest, have been asked to provide smooth facilitation to all students who are coming to join the protest,” a source said.

Police officers have been told to carry out videography, photography and drone surveillance at protest sites, the sources said.

According to the CJP, Dipke, who has been in Boston, is expected to land in Delhi at 8 am, and travel from the airport to Parliament Street police station to seek permission for the protest. He is expected to be accompanied by his colleagues and activists including Sonam Wangchuk of Ladakh.

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“On my way to India…Leaving my fate in the hands of the Constitution. #JaiBhim,” Dipke posted on X on Friday morning.

In the evening, spokespersons for the group Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka issued a list of Do’s and Don’ts to potential participants in the protest “to ensure the movement remains peaceful, disciplined, and respectful of public order”.

They asked participants to carry the Tricolour and a book, record the proceedings of the protest, and report miscreants to the police. They were told to offer flowers to police personnel, and to not engage with “trolls or provocateurs”.

They were also given practical advice: apply sunscreen, wear a cap, stay hydrated, and come only after eating something.

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“Tomorrow, we reset the education system of this country…make sure that our voices can’t be ignored anymore…we reclaim this democracy and this beautiful nation of ours,” Ranka said.

Das invited people “of all political shades” to join the CJP’s protest. “We appeal to you all to please keep this peaceful… Please do not gather at the airport… Please meet us directly at the Parliament Street police station,” he said.

Ranka issued “a last appeal” to Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking him to remove Education Minister Pradhan. “Pradhan Mantri ji, aap ke shiksha mantri Dharmendra Pradhan ji naqabil hain, unke karan hamara poora education system barbad ho chuka hai… (Your education minister is incompetent, because of him our education system has been destroyed)… We want to appeal to you directly: Modi ji, please sack Dharmendra Pradhan ji and restore our faith in democracy,” he said.

The Minister has been under fire for a series of recent controversies, including the leak of the NEET-UG question paper and the chaos and confusion over the OSM system used in CBSE’s Class 12 exam.

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The Intelligence Unit of the Delhi Police expects some people from outside Delhi to participate in the protest. According to sources, police believe there could be student groups from Punjab, members of various student organisations, and leaders and workers of political parties among the protesters.

“Information has been received that Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) workers are mobilising support on the ground, while student groups are encouraging participation,” a source said.

According to this source, “The expected participants in the protest could include students, competitive exam aspirants, teachers, coaching centre affiliates and issue-based groups. Labour-linked organisations could also be present.”

Sources said each of the 12 zones in New Delhi district will be supervised by an officer of the rank of DCP or Additional DCP, while an officer of the rank of Joint Commissioner or Additional Commissioner will oversee every two zones.

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“Apart from the New Delhi district police, the deployment will include six Joint Commissioners and Additional Commissioners, 14 DCPs and Additional DCPs, 32 ACPs, 90 Inspectors, and 950 police personnel brought in from other districts,” a source said.

Twenty companies of extra police force will remain stationed in New Delhi as part of the security plan.

On Friday evening, DCP (New Delhi district) Sachin Sharma chaired a meeting at Police Headquarters with DCPs, Additional DCPs and Inspectors from various districts to review preparations.

Also on Friday, the Delhi High Court refused an urgent hearing to a petition filed by the Delhi-based trust Save India Foundation which sought restrictions on the gathering by the CJP.

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The petition, which was filed on Thursday, drew parallels between the actions of the CJP with “civil unrest and regime changes witnessed in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal”.