Page 2 - Protest

TG Mohandas taken into custody over remarks on Delhi Neet protest

Right-wing commentator T G Mohandas was taken into custody in Kochi over alleged remarks on a Delhi NEET protest made in a video uploaded to his YouTube channel

3 Jharkhand PSC members resign amid protests against exam irregularities

All three members of the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) resigned on Sunday amid the massive protests over the alleged irregularities in recruitment tests conducted by the agency. Governor Santosh Kumar Gangwar accepted the resignation of Ajeeta Bhattacharya, Anima Hansda and Jamal Ahmad, according to a statement issued by the Lok Bhavan. The resignations came after the CID summoned the three members in connection with the allegations of irregularities, including paper leaks. On July 22, JPSC chairperson L Khiangte had tendered his resignation. Nineteen people have so far been arrested in connection with the alleged irregularities in JPSC examinations, while Khiangte has been questioned four times since July 28.

Jharkhand job exam row: Govt to hold fresh talks with protesting students

The Jharkhand government will hold a sixth round of talks with students protesting the alleged exam irregularities in the state before reaching a final decision, said a member of the panel tasked with holding dialogue with the demonstrators. The talks will be held around 12 pm, the member said after the panel held a four-hour meeting with Chief Minister Hemant Soren, appraising him about the progress achieved during the previous five rounds of dialogue with the protesters. "We apprised the chief minister of students' views and demands that came to the fore during various rounds of meetings with delegations of student unions today and the day before. "It was decided in the meeting with the chief minister that a final round of talks with protesting students will take place at 12 pm on Sunday," the panel's member and Rural Development Minister Dipika Pandey Singh told PTI. Another member, Minister Sanjay Prasad Yadav, said the meeting at the chief minister's residence decided to hold

Jharkhand student protests: Talks with government fail to break impasse

The government has held back-to-back talks with protesting aspirants and student groups, but students insist the agitation will continue until the 14th JPSC exam is cancelled and other demands are met

Jharkhand student protest: Here's why JPSC, JSSC aspirants are on strike

The agitation over alleged irregularities in JPSC and JSSC recruitment exams has entered its 14th day; here's what sparked the protest, what students are demanding and how the government has responded

Why should city be put to ransom? Delhi HC on Jantar Mantar protests

The Delhi HC questioned keeping Jantar Mantar as a protest site, saying the city should not be put to ransom, while asking Delhi Police to decide on a protest plea by August 8

J'khand exam protest enters Day 14, protester on hunger strike hospitalised

One of the six protesters, who have been on a hunger strike as part of a demonstration against the alleged irregularities in recruitment exams in Jharkhand, was taken to a hospital here after his health condition deteriorated on Friday, an official said. The student leader, identified as Rahul Kranti, who has been on fast since Tuesday night, was taken in an ambulance to the Ranchi Sadar hospital for treatment, he said. Earlier in the day, Kranti had said the protesters had appealed to the administration for a health check-up, but no doctors reached the demonstration site till 8.30 am. Five protesters, including two women, on Tuesday night joined Jharkhand Loktantrik Krantikari Morcha (JLKM) leader Devendra Nath Mahto in his hunger strike. Mahto has been on fast for the past six days. Social activist Sonam Wangchuk, who recently observed a 26-day hunger strike in Delhi over the NEET paper leak issue, spoke to Mahto over the phone on Wednesday and urged him to at least drink water,

CJP to launch nationwide campaign against unemployment, says Abhijeet Dipke

Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke on Thursday described unemployment as a major problem in the country, and said it would be taken up as a nationwide issue. He was addressing a press conference after the conclusion of the CJP's core team meeting in his hometown Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar in Maharashtra. The core team had been holding talks at Dipke's residence since Wednesday. CJP chief spokesperson Saurav Das, spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka and other representatives were also present at the press conference. The protests, led by CJP at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi last month over the NEET paper leak and other exam irregularities, led to Dharmendra Pradhan resigning as the Union education minister. Dipke said, "Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation is the biggest achievement of the students' agitation." There were not only students but also jobless youngsters who participated in the Jantar Mantar protest, he said. "Unemployment is a major problem, we will make it a nationwi

SC says youngsters need to be pacified, law enforcement must show restraint

The Supreme Court on Wednesday underscored the need for law enforcement agencies to exercise restraint during protests and said youngsters must be pacified, even if some "misguided elements" indulge in stone-pelting, as it agreed to hear a plea seeking action against organisers of the July 20 'Sansad Chalo' march for allegedly inciting violence. A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana tagged the plea, filed by a retired Air Force officer, with a similar petition. Advocate Rizwan Ahmed, appearing for petitioner Maneesh Kumar Solanki, said, "Fifteen days have passed... What about the accountability of the organisers? They are going from channel to channel giving provocative statements and refusing to douse the fire". Referring to a recent law and order incident in Rajasthan, the lawyer argued that governments should not "bend backwards" to accommodate protesters. "One young man has died. If the government bends backwards in a matter ...

Will go to Jharkhand to back students' protest: CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke

The Cockroach Janta Party will function as a pressure group for now, as that is what India needs at the moment, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said on Wednesday. Speaking to reporters ahead of the CJP's core team meeting in Maharashtra's Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Dipke said the discussions will focus on the dwindling trust of people in institutions like the media and judiciary. The meeting will also take up issues like ethanol-blended fuel and rising unemployment, he said. "For now, CJP will be a pressure group, as what India needs now is a pressure group," Dipke asserted. CJP chief spokesperson Saurav Das said activist Sonam Wangchuk will continue to be their mentor and they will seek advice from him. Das further said they will push for withdrawal of FIRs against students who took part in the recent protests led by the CJP against the NEET paper leak and other exam irregularities. "We are talking with government representatives on this issue," he said. Das also said they are worki

Congress workers detained during protest over E20 fuel near Gadkari's home

Youth Congress workers held a protest in Nagpur on Monday on the issue of E20 fuel and attempted to march to the residence of Union Minister Nitin Gadkari in order to 'gherao' it, but were stopped by the police, resulting in several participants being detained. The 'morcha' was held from Chitnivis Park Square in Mahal here till Gadkari's private residence in the same area, with Youth Congress workers shouting slogans about the unviability of E20 fuel. There was heavy deployment of police personnel near the Union minister's house along with barricades on the route, though protesters tried to climb over them to proceed. Several Congress workers were detained, police officials said. The Congress has been targeting Gadkari on the issue of E20 fuel claiming that his reply in Parliament on July 29 on the nationwide rollout of E20 petrol raises more questions than it answers. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh on Monday said Gadkari claims E20 has been rolled out after years of ...

My US studies funded by scholarship, education loan: CJP's Abhijeet Dipke

Fresh off leading a high-decibel protest over the NEET paper leaks, Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke now finds himself targeted over the funding for his studies abroad, which he asserted was facilitated through a scholarship and an education loan. In an exclusive interview with PTI at his home in Maharashtra's Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar on Monday, Dipke also dismissed exiled Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen's comment drawing a parallel between the CJP's Delhi protest against exam irregularities and the 2024 stir that ousted Sheikh Hasina's Awami League regime. "Protests in Bangladesh, Nepal are being used to defame us; we are different," he asserted. He remained unfazed by the Right to Information (RTI) query into his educational expenses and finances, insisting that he has not faced any personal attacks so far. A Surat-based RTI activist on Saturday said he had sought a probe into the finances of Dipke's father, a retired government employee who sent his son abr

SC agrees to hear plea seeking alternative protest venue to Jantar Mantar

The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to examine a PIL contending that the Jantar Mantar in the heart of the national capital was no longer a suitable venue for protests as they cause inconvenience to local residents and disrupt essential services. A bench comprising Chief Justice and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana issued notices to the Centre and others on the plea filed by Satish Chand Kaushik. It asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to obtain instructions from the authorities on the issues raised. The petition seeks an alternative arrangement for holding demonstrations, saying protests at Jantar Mantar create difficulties for local residents and disrupt the supply of essential goods and medical services. During the hearing, the CJI said that the petition raised concerns relating to access and movement in the area. "It has been stated in the plea that Jantar Mantar is not a proper site anymore for such protests due to ingress and egress issues. Supply of medical essentials et

CJP supports students protesting alleged exam irregularities in Jharkhand

The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) extended support to students protesting the alleged irregularities in various recruitment examinations in Jharkhand, as an agitator launched an indefinite hunger strike over the issue. CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said he spoke with student leaders through video call on Sunday night. "Spoke to the students who are protesting in Jharkhand over irregularities in JPSC and JSSC recruitment exams. The CJP stands with all the students in Jharkhand and supports their demands," Dipke said in a social media post. Student leader Devendra Nath Mahto launched the hunger strike at the protest site in Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium here around 10 pm on Sunday, demanding proper investigation by CBI and ED into the alleged irregularities in the 14th JPSC examination, JSSC-CGL and other recruitment tests. Before launching his hunger strike, he told reporters that the "lackadaisical attitude" of both the central and the state governments with regard to the alleged ...

TISS postpones convocation over protest fears ahead of CJI's visit

The institute deferred its August 2 convocation less than 48 hours before the event was scheduled, after security concerns over possible protests; CJI Surya Kant was the chief guest

CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke falls ill at home; doctors to examine him

Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke felt uneasy and vomited while meeting people in the parking area of his residence in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Maharashtra, on Saturday morning. Dipke came down to meet a group of individuals waiting for him in the parking area of his residence at 11.45 am. He felt restless and went to the rear area of his residence, where he vomited. Without speaking to media persons, he retired to his house upstairs. Confirming the incident, his father, Bhagwan Dipke, said doctors have been called to examine his son. During the protests at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, Dipke on July 25 said he had been diagnosed with typhoid. Dipke had said he had been unwell for the past few days and was currently undergoing treatment.

The Gen Z protests have opened the door, just a crack, for the Opposition

Competitive politics up to 2029 now will be about filling the breach the GenZ has caused, or widening it

PM Modi says he was abused at Jantar Mantar, urges forgiveness for youth

In an Instagram video, Prime Minister Narendra Modi says he and his late mother were abused during the Jantar Mantar protests and urges society to forgive and guide "misguided" youth

Power lessons from antiquity: What ancient India taught about public office

Long before public service commissions or ethics committees, Arthashastra confronted a timeless question about who deserves public power

Flag of freedom: The anime pirate symbol at the Jantar Mantar protests

From Jakarta to Jantar Mantar, One Piece's Straw Hat Pirates have become an unlikely protest symbol. Their journey says as much about GenZ as it does about politics