Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the Cockroach Janata Party, was slapped and manhandled while addressing a protest in Jaipur on Monday. Police detained two youths after the incident at Shaheed Smarak.
The protest focused on alleged irregularities in examinations including NEET, CBSE, CUET and SSC, as well as unemployment and corruption. Participants demanded the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
Dipke was being carried on supporters' shoulders when the attack occurred. He later appealed for calm and described the assaults as a sign of fear and cowardice. In a video message, he urged followers to stay focused on their demands and told critics to get well soon.
Police had initially denied permission for the event but later allowed it with conditions such as a limit of 800 participants. Dipke also criticised remarks by a Rajasthan minister who called the NEET paper leak no big deal and referenced the collapse of a government school building in Jhalawar last year that killed seven students.
