A few steps away stands Sarthak, a public relations professional who has come carrying an unlikely protest accessory: a copy of Shashi Tharoor’s Ambedkar: A Life. He flips through its pages as reporters rush past him, chasing updates about a political outfit that did not exist a few weeks ago.

“I have come here to support the issues CJP is talking about,” he says. “I don’t see it as a political party or anything. It’s about saying what’s right.”

Around them, the scene seems much bigger than the crowd itself. Only about 20 protesters have gathered, but Parliament Street police station looks as if it is preparing for a major political event.

On most mornings, the road outside the station is quiet, with office-goers and commuters passing through central Delhi. But on Saturday, it is packed with police personnel and television crews. Delhi Police officers stop and direct vehicles. CRPF jawans stand in a line along the station wall. Reporters prepare for live broadcasts while photographers keep their cameras trained on the entrance, waiting for the next arrival.

The excitement is not for a BJP roadshow or an opposition dharna. Instead, it centres on an unlikely newcomer: the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP).

Its founder, Abhishek Dipke, is expected to arrive from Boston and march with a small group of core members to secure permission for a protest at Jantar Mantar. Their principal demand is the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

CJP became all the rage – at least on Instagram – after a page was created in its name, inspired by Chief Justice Suryakant’s remark in which he loosely used the term “cockroach” to describe “certain people who become activists and media persons”. He later clarified the comment, but by then the idea had already taken hold.

At around 8.30 am, one of its founders, journalist-turned-activist Saurav Das, arrives at the police station and is immediately engulfed by cameras. Police officers gently but firmly usher him away from the middle of the road.

Then comes the news everyone has been waiting for: permission for the protest has been granted. Within moments, the crowd finds its voice. “Inquilab Zindabad… Satta ke galiyaron mein…”