The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), led by Abhijeet Dipke, continued its protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar on Thursday demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The party has also accused Delhi Police of assaulting the demonstrators and throwing away books which were on display as part of a symbolic library at the site of the protest.
According to Dipke, the protesters had set up a temporary library to highlight issues related to education and promote reading during the demonstration. A police team led by ACP Ajay Sharma removed the books, discarded several of them and assaulted students who were participating in the protest, he said.
In a post on social media platform X, Dipke claimed that the books included works on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Bhagat Singh. The police acted with disrespect towards the two historical figures, and he recommended immediate suspension of ACP Ajay Sharma.
"ACP Ajay Sharma and his team threw away the books, which included books on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Bhagat Singh, and assaulted students for setting up a library," Dipke wrote on X, while calling for disciplinary action against the police officer.
Among the books supposedly discarded was the book *Shivaji Kon Hota*, which belonged to the late Communist leader and writer Govind Pansare. That book has been at the heart of public and political discussion for years about the life and legacy of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
The allegations quickly generated political responses. A spokesperson of Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) who had earlier visited the protest site strongly criticised the alleged police action.
In a post on X, the spokesperson said: “This insult of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in Delhi will not be tolerated. Delhi Police, is this the respect you have for Maharashtra’s Aradhya Daivat? Devendra Fadnavis ji, will you speak out against this? Eknath Shinde ji and Sunetra Pawar ji, I hope you will intervene too.”
The protest has raised awareness on the current protest that is organized to pressure the education minister Dharmendra Pradhan to resign.
While other videos from the protest venue have also been posted on social media. One of the clips of CJP spokesperson Vijeta Dahiya dancing on stage and singing the popular protest song "Saadda Haq, Aithe Rakh" with a group of supporters has been shared. However, the date on which the video was taken has not been independently verified.
As of now, the Delhi Police has not issued any official statement on the Cockroach Janta Party’s claims for the use of force, disposal of books, or assaulting the students. The protesters’ claims are unconfirmed and the authorities are yet to articulate their version of what happened.
The protest at Jantar Mantar continues under police supervision with demonstrators continuing to demand their rights and demand that the police take action on the alleged incident. We expect more to come when Delhi police issue any official statements or the government conducts an inquiry into the allegations.
