Lucknow: “Movements are essential in a democracy, and those responsible for repeated paper leaks must resign,” Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) president Abhijeet Dipke said on Friday as he joined a protest at Eco Garden, where around 4,500 students and coaching teachers gathered against alleged irregularities in competitive examinations.Dipke also appealed to students to join a larger protest in Delhi on June 20, before leaving the venue after about 30 minutes under police escort.The protest began around 10am, with participants carrying posters and banners demanding action in paper leak cases and release of pending results. Slogans such as “Shiksha mantri weak hai, tabhi to paper leak hai”, “Stop paper leaks” and “Release UPSI scorecard” were raised.Hundreds of personnel from the Rapid Action Force, Provincial Armed Constabulary and local police were deployed to manage the crowd.Around 2pm, Dipke arrived at the venue carrying a copy of the Constitution. He was escorted by police amid heavy security, as a large number of protesters gathered around him. The situation briefly turned chaotic, with supporters pushing forward to get closer while some tried to take selfies.The crowd surge amid humid conditions added to the disorder before police managed to stabilise the situation.Following Dipke’s remarks, some students and aspirants objected to the participation of political groups, maintaining that the protest was being led by students.Protesters reiterated demands for leak-proof examinations, release of pending scorecards and stringent action against those responsible for alleged irregularities.Harsh Parinda, a Prayagraj resident preparing for SSC exams, said recurring paper leaks were affecting morale and creating uncertainty around recruitment.Rajneesh, a NEET-UG 2026 aspirant from Gonda, said he had to reappear despite performing well. “After reports of paper leak, we have to appear again. No action is taken against those responsible, and all students suffer,” he said, calling for a transparent examination system.Mukhar Samant from Ayodhya and UPSSSC aspirant Altmash demanded a time-bound examination process and transparency in results, saying candidates were unable to assess performance due to lack of detailed scorecards despite the UPSI cut-off being declared.Left student organisations, including AISA and SFI, distributed pamphlets demanding the resignation of Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Coaching institute groups also joined the protest, which continued till 4pm after Dipke’s departure.Dipke had arrived in Lucknow earlier in the day on IndiGo flight 6E-338 from Pune at 2.20am. Police had initially denied permission for the protest citing lack of clarity from organisers, but granted approval around 8am after the plan was scaled down and necessary documents were submitted. The protest was allowed at Eco Garden only on June 12 between 10am and 4pm.
