CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke manhandled, slapped during protest in Jaipur; two youth detained

Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke was allegedly manhandled and slapped by some people during a protest in Jaipur on Monday, triggering chaos and a brief struggle at the venue. Police detained two youths in connection with the incident.

Supporters were carrying Mr. Dipke on their shoulders when the alleged incident took place. The demonstration, attended by a large number of youths, was organised at Shaheed Smarak to protest over the issues of the alleged NEET paper leak, unemployment and corruption.

When Mr. Dipke arrived at the protest site and was being carried on supporters’ shoulders, some miscreants in the crowd allegedly manhandled him, slapped him multiple times and attempted to pull him down. Mr. Dipke’s supporters caught hold of the accused and assaulted them before the police intervened.

‘A sign of fear’

As tempers ran high during the chaos, Mr. Dipke attempted to calm the situation and appealed to the protesters not to assault the individuals involved in the attack. The CJP founder said physical attacks were a sign of “fear and cowardice”. “I am a follower of Gandhi and Ambedkar, and I will keep fighting this battle with peace and love,” he said.

In a video message released on his X account, Mr. Dipke urged his supporters not to get distracted from the demand for Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation. He said the attack was a tactic to threaten the CJP and divert attention from the real issues, and added, “To the haters, I want to say ‘get well soon’!”

During the protest, the youths carried banners and placards and raised slogans demanding Mr. Pradhan’s resignation over alleged irregularities in major examinations such as NEET, CBSE, CUET and SSC.

Addressing the gathering, Mr. Dipke criticised the handling of education-related issues and questioned the remarks of a Rajasthan Minister who had described the NEET paper leak as “no big deal’’. He also cited the collapse of a government school building in Jhalawar last year, in which seven students were killed.

The police had initially refused permission for the demonstration, citing the law and order situation, but later granted a conditional approval. The event was allowed with restrictions, including a limit on the number of participants to 800, compliance with the noise pollution rules, and not taking out a rally from the venue.