New Delhi, Jun 19: Ahead of a proposed student protest at Jantar Mantar, youth-led campaign Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke on Friday appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to provide Rs 1 crore compensation to families of students who allegedly died by suicide amid examination controversies.
He also reiterated the organisation’s demand to sack Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, calling for accountability.
The appeal comes ahead of CJP’s proposed second protest at Jantar Mantar on June 20, where the organisation plans to intensify its campaign against alleged examination irregularities and what it calls the government’s failure to ensure accountability in the education system.
“I am writing to you today with a heavy heart, to bring your urgent attention to an escalating crisis that threatens the very future of our nation – the lives and mental well-being of our young students,” Dipke said in the letter.
He claimed that 11 students had died by suicide in recent weeks, including five deaths in the last 48 hours, and said the situation was worsening as students grappled with uncertainty over possible re-examinations.
He urged the Centre to provide immediate financial assistance to affected families, arguing that many had taken substantial educational loans to support their children’s academic aspirations.
“Having lost the very children they poured their life savings into educating, these families have been left entirely destitute,” Dipke wrote, demanding a compensation package of Rs 1 crore for families affected by what he described as the “compounding crisis of paper leaks”.
The CJP founder also renewed his demand for Pradhan’s removal, and stressed that the students wanted accountability.
“The Cockroach Janta Party has been demanding the resignation of the education minister for the past month and has been protesting across the country for our demands. All that we students want is to see some accountability for the loss of lives,” he said.
He added that holding leadership accountable is a “vital step toward restoring the faith of millions of students and parents in our educational framework”, and failing to do so “inadvertently sends a message that the administration accepts the status quo.”
“Therefore, we respectfully request you to sack the education minister. He is serving at your pleasure, and the buck stops with the prime minister,” he said.
Dipke argued that removing the education minister would demonstrate the government’s commitment to accountability rather than weakness, and warned that inaction could deepen feelings of hopelessness among students and parents.
He also stressed immediate intervention and urged that the mental health and safety of students should be prioritised, and structural reforms should be brought in to “ensure that no more young lives are cut short by academic despair”.
“Students from all across India are assembling at Jantar Mantar, 20th June onwards, to raise our demand. We hope your government listens to the voice of India’s future,” he added.
The June 20 protest will be CJP’s second mobilisation at Jantar Mantar this month.
On June 6, hundreds of students and young professionals gathered at the Delhi protest site after a call by Dipke, demanding Pradhan’s resignation over alleged irregularities in examinations and recruitment tests.
Following the demonstration, the organisation expanded its campaign to several cities over examination-related controversies and paper leak allegations, and with Pradhan’s resignation remaining a key demand. (PTI)
