Exclusive: Dipke on ‘pressure’ for protest 2.0 and ‘overwhelming support’ from public

After a 36-day demonstration at Jantar Mantar that culminated in the resignation of the Union Education Minister, the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) is preparing to return to the streets of Delhi. This time, the group is demanding that police cases against student protesters be quashed and affected families be compensated.

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In an exclusive interview with The Federal’s ‘AI With Sanket’, Dipke spoke about the upcoming march from India Gate to the Delhi Police Headquarters, the government’s alleged crackdown on their ‘School Theek Karo’ campaign, and why he believes young students are being forced to take to the streets.

Edited excerpts:

Could you tell us about CJP's 'Protest 2.0'? You plan to march from India Gate to the Delhi Police Headquarters. What are your main demands?

The main demands are the same ones the government agreed to when we called off our earlier protest in good faith. First, to withdraw all FIRs filed against students who were peacefully protesting, and second, to provide compensation to the victims' families. The government assured us even before the resignation of the Union Education Minister that we did not need to worry about these two demands and that they would be fulfilled.

That is why we believed them and called off the demonstration. But for the past month, they have just been stalling using technicalities. Initially, they claimed they couldn't withdraw the FIRs due to a Supreme Court order. Now, when the Supreme Court has asked the government to submit the list of FIRs so they can be cancelled, the government is refusing to even provide that list.

We believe they are backtracking on the promise they made to the nation and Gen Z. They are just trying to fool everyone, and there is clearly no intent on their part to take back the FIRs. It is out of sheer helplessness, because they have cheated the youth, so we are forced to call for another protest on September 5.

You plan to march from India Gate to the Delhi Police Headquarters at ITO, which passes through a high-security zone. Have you taken permission for this march, and is this planned as a one-day demonstration or another prolonged sit-in like Jantar Mantar?

Let us call it a one-day march for now. We will certainly submit an intimation notice to the police. I do not believe there is any valid reason to deny us our right to express dissent, because the duty of the police is to grant permission, not to dictate whether citizens can exercise their rights.

A few metres from ITO is Bharat Mandapam, which is hosting the upcoming BRICS Summit with heads of state attending. Is it realistic for the government to grant permission, knowing your capacity for long-drawn protests?

The government might be worried about the Delhi Police and how brutal or violent they can get — using tear gas, pellet guns, or worse. In Bihar, police even used AK-47s.

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So I believe the government’s concern should be about the violent behaviour of the Delhi Police, not the students. Students always protest peacefully; it is the police that turn violent.

So are you hopeful that the police will allow the march on September 5 and that it won't spill over into mid-September when the BRICS Summit takes place?

Of course, we are going there only to express our dissatisfaction and highlight how the government cheated us. We just want them to take back the FIRs filed against genuine, peacefully protesting students.

We do not want anything else. We are not going there to create a scene or cause any tamasha — we don't do that. We are only going to get what was promised to us. If they fulfill their promise, there would be no need to protest.

During the previous protest, it took 36 days and major developments before the Education Minister resigned. Are you hopeful that this march will immediately compel the government to quash the FIRs?

If they take back the FIRs while we are sitting there, we will have no reason to stay.

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I believe the government must have also learned its lessons from the Jantar Mantar protest because they made a lot of mistakes back then. I hope they learn from those mistakes and will not be so harsh, brutal, or arrogant against students who are simply demanding their legitimate rights.

If the march is permitted but your demands are still not met, what will be your next step? Will you continue the sit-in?

We will take that call on that very day.

We are not protesting against the BRICS Summit, nor are we there to cause any inconvenience to it. We are only there to protect students who are being continuously harassed by the police.

The government claims that people with past criminal records were involved in the protests, making it impossible to quash all FIRs indiscriminately. Do you have a list of innocent students to separate them from those with criminal antecedents?

If the government is making this claim, then they must have a list of those individuals with serious criminal records, and we are certainly not here to defend them. If there are serious criminals, please prosecute them. Go right ahead.

We are here to defend students who were peacefully protesting for their rights and are now being harassed. If criminals were involved as the government claims, take action against them and arrest them. But in the name of catching criminals, do not harass innocent students who were merely standing up for educational rights.

How do you identify who among those named in police complaints are genuine students versus individuals with criminal records?

We know many such students personally and are in direct contact with many who have been wrongly named in the FIRs. But ultimately, it is the government that possesses the state machinery, files the FIRs, and maintains criminal records, so it is their job to sort this out.

If the government claims there were more than 2,600 criminals at Jantar Mantar, they should publicly release that list of names and show us whom they are actually prosecuting instead of targeting students.

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Furthermore, if the government claims criminals were present, my question is: who set them free in the first place? How were individuals with major criminal records allowed into Jantar Mantar — a place where even I couldn't enter without undergoing heavy security checks? The government simply cannot use the excuse of 'criminals' to target genuine students.

Following the events of July 20, the scale of public support grew significantly. Are you expecting similar crowds for this protest, and what kind of feedback are you receiving online?

To be completely honest, I am under immense pressure from the public to conduct another protest. Ever since the Jantar Mantar sit-in ended, people have been messaging me and commenting on my social media posts asking when 'Season 2.0' or 'Jantar Mantar 2.0' is starting.

The young generation has been waiting for this for the past month. We believed the government would honour its word and quash the FIRs and provide compensation, but since they failed to do so, they have compelled us to hit the streets again.

Under your 'School Theek Karo' campaign, states like Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan have issued circulars warning against entering school premises and threatening police action. Will this stop your campaign?

Whenever I visit a school, I do not go alone. I go alongside local villagers and parents whose children study in those very schools. They have no objection and want us to highlight the state of these institutions. We have overwhelming support from local communities.

Issuing circulars to stop us from entering schools is like trying to hide a body after a murder so the crime isn't exposed. Why are authorities trying to hide the condition of schools? If you are ashamed of the infrastructure, improve it. Does hiding a school give children better facilities or quality education?

An FIR has already been registered against me, and I am scheduled to visit more schools tomorrow. I am just waiting to be arrested. Why delay the outcome with FIRs? Just come and arrest me. Ever since I returned from the US, I came back with the mindset that I will eventually be arrested, so whatever time I have outside is like living on borrowed time.

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The government raises security concerns regarding our entry, but where is their concern when alcoholics and drug addicts enter school premises to smoke and drink? Why are they allowed inside?

Your 'School Theek Karo' campaign has focused primarily on northern states like Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Delhi. Why haven't we seen similar CJP drives in southern states or opposition-ruled states like Punjab or Karnataka?

Our volunteers are active in southern states as well. Because Ashutosh, Saurav, and I receive most of the media attention, we are seen as the faces of CJP, but work is ongoing in the south, and we are planning visits there and to opposition-ruled states like Punjab and Karnataka in the coming days.

However, I am surprised by critics who ask why we aren't visiting opposition-ruled states. Who is stopping them from going? If they care about schools, why don't they visit them themselves? If anyone starts a similar campaign in those states, we will fully support them.

You recently commented on a six-year-old child in Patna who held a press conference after being detained during a protest. Do you endorse using young children as mascots or bringing them to protest sites?

Definitely not. Children belong in school studying, not at protest sites.

But we must ask: what compelled parents to bring their young children to Jantar Mantar or streets in Patna? We never asked anyone to bring children. The fact that parents feel forced to bring their entire families to make their voices heard is a massive statement in itself. It shows how deep the systemic crisis has become when parents feel they have no other choice.