What began as a small protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar soon grew into a nationwide movement, with the Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP) 36-day agitation drawing lakhs of supporters, sparking demonstrations across several cities and ultimately culminating in Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation.
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From the launch of a five-point reform agenda and Sonam Wangchuk’s hunger strike to the ‘Chalo Sansad’ march and negotiations with the Centre, here is how the movement unfolded.
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June 6: The agitation began on June 6, when the CJP held its first protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi.
June 11: Five days later, on June 11, the CJP released a five-point manifesto, outlining its proposed reforms for India’s education sector.
June 20: With its demands remaining unmet, the organisation escalated its protest on June 20, launching a round-the-clock indefinite sit-in at Jantar Mantar.
June 28: The movement intensified on June 28, when activist Sonam Wangchuk began an indefinite hunger strike at the protest site in support of the agitation.
Over the following weeks, the protest gathered momentum as more supporters joined the sit-in in Delhi and demonstrations spread to several other cities.
July 18: After nearly three weeks on hunger strike, Wangchuk was taken to Safdarjung Hospital on July 18 as his health deteriorated. Police said the move was carried out in compliance with court orders.
July 20: The agitation reached its peak on July 20, when tens of thousands of protesters participated in the ‘Chalo Sansad’ march demanding the resignation of the Union education minister.
The march turned violent as security personnel and protesters clashed, leading authorities to lock Parliament’s gates for the first time since 2001.
The same day, a CJP delegation met Union minister JP Nadda to reiterate its demands.
July 21–24: On July 21, Wangchuk was allowed to shift to a private medical hospital in Gurugram.
Between July 21 and July 23, Opposition political parties and several prominent public figures condemned the alleged use of violence against protesters.
On July 23 and 24, Wangchuk ended his hunger strike at the Gurugram hospital after meeting Union ministers JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh.
Around the same time, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a video message, assured the country’s youth that action would be taken against errant officials and promised an overhaul of the examination system.
The movement also continued to expand beyond Delhi. On July 24, large-scale demonstrations were held in Patna, Mumbai and several other cities in support of the CJP protest.
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That day, the CJP delegation again met Union ministers Nadda and Singh to discuss its demands, while the National Testing Agency terminated the services of 47 officials.
July 25: The breakthrough came on July 25, when Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan tendered his resignation, one of the key demands of the agitation.
Following his resignation, the Cockroach Janta Party officially called off its nationwide protest, bringing the 36-day movement to an end.
