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'Go Pradhan Go' chants ring out at Jantar Mantar as protesters bang thalis and chammach | Video
The protest marked the Cockroach Janta Party's (CJP) second major mobilisation after its June 6 gathering at Jantar Mantar.
Chants of "Go Pradhan Go" rang out across Jantar Mantar in Delhi on Saturday as Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) protesters began banging thalis (plates) with spoons shortly after demonstrations commenced at 1 pm on Saturday.
Protestors carrying plates and spoons in large numbers demanded the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
The protest marked the CJP's second major mobilisation after its June 6 gathering at Jantar Mantar.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke had urged supporters to bring thalis and spoons as the internet-born outfit stepped up its campaign against exam paper leaks and student suicides. Similar protests had been organised in Pune, Lucknow, Amritsar, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Jaipur.
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Why thali and chammach protests?
Dipke jokingly claimed that UNESCO research had shown the vibrations created by banging thalis could bring about significant change, much like they supposedly did during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The call to bring plates and spoons appeared to invoke Prime Minister Narendra Modi's March 2020 appeal during the Covid-19 pandemic, when citizens were asked to clap and bang utensils to express gratitude to frontline workers.
Also Read | 'Get thali and chammach for protests': CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke ahead of June 20 protest at Jantar Mantar
Dipke's special request to protestors
Ahead of the protest, Dipke urged supporters on social media to participate with plates and spoons, while CJP spokesperson Saurav Das appealed to artists and singers to join the demonstration.
Dipke also wrote an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, raising concerns over what he termed a growing crisis affecting students and seeking accountability from the government.
In the letter, he called on the Centre to provide ₹1 crore compensation to the families of students who died by suicide amid examination-related controversies, claiming that 11 students had taken their lives in recent weeks.
He also reiterated the demand for the removal of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET paper leak issue.
Also Read | PM Modi tells Bill Gates why he called for clanging utensils in Covid pandemic
"The Cockroach Janta Party has been demanding the resignation of the education minister for the past month and has been protesting across the country for our demands. All that we students want is to see some accountability for the loss of lives," Dipke said in the letter.
CJP protests 2.0 after June 6 protests
Saturday's protest came two weeks after the group's June 6 demonstration at Jantar Mantar, where hundreds of students and young professionals had gathered to demand action over alleged irregularities in entrance examinations and recruitment tests.
Since then, the organisation has expanded its campaign to several cities and continued to press for accountability in examination-related matters, with Pradhan's resignation remaining one of its key demands.
Security was tightened across Delhi ahead of the protest. Delhi Police said the CJP had been granted permission to hold the demonstration.
