Cockroach Janata Party founder Abhijit Deepake urged India’s central education minister, Dharmendra Pradhan, to join protesters at Jantar Mantar in Delhi and resign over the NEET scandal. In an interview with NDTV, Deepake referred to Pradhan’s earlier remarks against examination paper leaks and said a resignation letter would be ready for the minister to sign. He alleged that Pradhan bears the real responsibility for the scandal and said the minister’s resignation is the movement’s sole demand.

Continuous protests demanding Pradhan’s resignation have been underway at Jantar Mantar since 6 June. Deepake said demonstrations with the same demand are also taking place in Mumbai, Jaipur, Bengaluru and other cities. He said talks could take place at Jantar Mantar or a neutral venue if the government wished, but not at ministers’ residences, citing previous delays in the name of discussions. Ladakh social activist Sonam Wangchuk joined an indefinite hunger strike in support on 28 June, after which the movement gained momentum.