Guwahati: Today, Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), ended his hunger strike at Jantar Mantar in Delhi, after an appeal from activist Sonam Wangchuk, even as protests over alleged irregularities in the education system intensified near Parliament.
Dipke, who had been on a hunger strike since Saturday, broke his fast before joining the party's 'Sansad Chalo' march towards Parliament amid heavy security deployment across the national capital.
As per Gitanjali Angmo, Wangchuk's wife, the activist urged Dipke to end his fast and conserve his strength so that he could continue leading the protest movement. Wangchuk, who has been on an indefinite hunger strike since June 28, reportedly asked Dipke to remain active in the campaign rather than weaken his health.
Dipke had begun his fast after Delhi Police removed Wangchuk from Jantar Mantar on Saturday and shifted him to Safdarjung Hospital after directions from the Delhi High Court.
Wangchuk is demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the alleged NEET-UG question paper leak and has called for comprehensive reforms to the education system.
Meanwhile, CJP chief spokesperson Saurav Das said the Centre had reached out to the party for talks.
"The government reached out to us for discussions this morning. Ashutosh Ranka and I are on our way to meet J.P. Nadda. Our demands remain unchanged," Das said in a post on Twitter.
However, there was no official confirmation from the government regarding the proposed meeting.
The developments coincided with heightened security across central Delhi, where thousands of protesters attempted to march towards Parliament. Police used tear gas near Shastri Bhawan after some demonstrators allegedly tried to breach security barricades.
Additional police and paramilitary personnel were deployed across key intersections and sensitive locations to prevent any breach of law and order. Security restrictions also affected public transport, with access to several nearby Delhi Metro stations limited and some entry gates temporarily closed, causing inconvenience to commuters.
A multi-layered security arrangement remained in place around Parliament Street and adjoining areas as authorities continued to closely monitor the situation.