CJP Founder Abhijeet Dipke Diagnosed With Typhoid, Calls Sunday Nationwide Candle March

Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke said on Friday he has been diagnosed with typhoid but insisted the Jantar Mantar sit‑in will not stop. In a video message released late Thursday night, Dipke appeared fatigued and confirmed the illness, adding that the party has given a call for a nationwide candle march on Sunday, July 27, to protest what it terms “police brutality” against students and supporters at the Delhi protest site.

The announcement came during the third day of a live‑blog style coverage by The Indian Express tracking developments at Jantar Mantar, where students have camped since July 22 demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET‑UG paper‑leak scandal. The live updates note that 18 Delhi Metro stations on the Yellow and Violet lines remained shut on Friday morning as a precaution, and that a fresh round of talks between a CJP delegation and senior government officials is scheduled for 4 pm today.

What we can verify

• Dipke’s typhoid diagnosis and his statement that “the fight will go on until Dharmendra Pradhan resigns” are on record in a video posted by The Indian Express on July 25 (source 2).
• CJP’s official call for a nationwide candle march on Sunday, July 27 appears in the Indian Express live‑blog update timestamped 02:41 UTC on July 25 (source 1).
• Delhi Metro Rail Corporation confirmed the closure of 16‑18 stations on the Yellow and Violet lines from the first train on Friday, citing “law‑and‑order situation at Jantar Mantar” — the same figure cited in the live blog.
• A meeting between CJP representatives and officials from the Ministry of Education is scheduled for 4 pm IST on July 25, per the live blog and corroborated by a CJP press release shared on the party’s X handle.

What remains unverified

• Exact headcount of protesters at Jantar Mantar on Friday; the live blog describes “hundreds” but no independent tally is available.
• Claims circulating on social media that pellet guns were used and that a protester lost vision in one eye — CJP volunteers allege this, but no hospital or police statement has confirmed it. Marked [unverified].
• Whether the Sunday candle march will draw participation beyond Delhi; CJP says “nationwide” but no other city has announced a parallel event as of press time.

The protest enters its fourth day with no resolution in sight. Dipke’s illness adds a personal dimension to a movement that has already drawn solidarity from opposition leaders, student bodies, and civil‑society groups. The next 48 hours — culminating in the Sunday candle march — will test whether the government offers a substantive response or lets the standoff harden.