Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the social media platform Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), arrived in the national capital on Saturday morning amid heightened security arrangements ahead of a planned protest demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
Dipke landed at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport at around 8 a.m. As anticipation surrounding the protest grew, security was tightened at key locations, including the airport, nearby police stations and Jantar Mantar, where the demonstration is scheduled to take place.
According to sources, Delhi Police officials met Dipke immediately after his arrival and held discussions with him for nearly an hour. Following the meeting, the police granted permission to CJP and other participants to hold the protest at Jantar Mantar.
Dipke was seen carrying a photograph of Dr B.R. Ambedkar as he exited the airport. Shortly after arriving in Delhi, he posted a message on Instagram urging supporters from across the country to gather at Jantar Mantar and participate in the protest.
Meanwhile, in a symbolic gesture, a senior CJP functionary visited Parliament Street Police Station and presented flowers to security personnel deployed for maintaining law and order during the event.
The protest is being closely watched as a test of CJP’s ability to convert its substantial online following into a physical mass movement. The organisation claims to have more than 20 million followers across social media platforms, and observers are keen to see how many supporters turn up on the ground.
Dipke launched the Cockroach Janta Party’s social media presence following a controversy surrounding remarks allegedly made during a court hearing, which sparked widespread debate online. Since then, the platform has gained significant traction among young social media users.
With supporters expected to gather throughout the day, all eyes remain on Jantar Mantar as the protest unfolds in the heart of the national capital.
