Abhijeet Dipke, 30, the founder of the satirical Cockroach Janta Party, has found himself at the centre of a fresh controversy even as his protest against alleged examination irregularities enters its third day at Delhi's Jantar Mantar.
Dipke has led protests demanding action over alleged issues like the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak controversy and has also suggested the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Inspired by the judge’s controversial “cockroaches” comment about unemployed young people, the movement has drawn students and job aspirants all over the country.
But the focus has now shifted from the demands of the protest to allegations of Dipke’s own conduct.
Media outlets have circulated unverified videos and photos claiming that Dipke visited the nearby Park Hotel, a luxury property, while demonstrators continued to be there for hours. Critics claimed that he was hypocritical, wondering how a leader who directed his supporters to live in tough conditions could go to a high-end hotel at the protest site.
The controversy quickly spread online, and many users argued that protest leaders should face the same hardships as those involved in the movement. Some defended Dipke, saying that the authenticity and context of the viral footage has not been independently verified.
Just weeks ago another incident involving Dipke came to the public’s attention. A young man from the crowd in a public meeting that was connected to his campaign came and slapped Dipke, they said. Videos of that incident spread across the online world and debate erupted about the increasingly heated atmosphere around student and unemployment-related protests. But Dipke continued his campaign and said he was not going to be bullied.
Meanwhile, the protest itself is still about allegations of exam irregularities and demands for better transparency in competitive examinations. That is what demonstrators say: years of chaos and a lot of bad news about entrance and recruitment exams have put away millions of students and job candidates’ trust, and the students want to know why.
Even though police reportedly refused to extend permission for the gathering beyond 5 p.m., Dipke has continued sharing updates from Jantar Mantar, showing protesters staying at the site and vowing that the sit-in will continue.
Now, with the protest on its third day, the debate is about so much more than examination reforms. The movement’s demands are still on the agenda, yet critics continue to ask Dipke about the luxury hotel controversy and it is one of the most talked-about topics of the protest.
