Students and government job aspirants gathered in Lucknow on Friday to participate in a protest led by Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke, demanding accountability over alleged examination irregularities and calling for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
The demonstration, held at Eco Garden, drew candidates preparing for various competitive examinations, including teaching, medical, revenue, administrative and other government recruitment tests.
The protest forms part of a nationwide campaign launched by the CJP, which has previously organised demonstrations in Delhi and Pune over issues related to examination management and recruitment processes.
Speaking earlier about the campaign, Dipke said the movement aims to raise concerns regarding alleged examination-related controversies through peaceful and democratic means.
“We have held peaceful protests in Delhi and Pune. We are not doing anything wrong. We only want to put forward our views in a democracy,” he had said.
According to police officials, permission for the protest was granted after a formal application was submitted on Thursday evening.
Additional Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Babloo Kumar clarified that the application was filed by an individual and not by any organisation.
“The application was submitted by a teacher, Vivek Kumar, late Thursday evening. After completing the required procedure, permission was granted,” Kumar told PTI.
He also dismissed reports suggesting that the police had denied permission for the protest, stating that no prior application regarding the event had been received before Thursday evening.
Police said the permission for the gathering was valid from 10 am to 4 pm and that around 1,000 participants were expected to attend the programme.
The protest remained focused on issues concerning examination conduct, recruitment delays and alleged irregularities affecting students and job aspirants across the country.
As part of its ongoing campaign, the CJP has announced plans to organise similar demonstrations in Amritsar and Bengaluru before culminating in a larger protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar on June 20.
The movement has gained attention on social media, with participants urging authorities to address concerns related to examination transparency, recruitment processes and accountability in the education sector.
