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Police fired tear gas and charged at protesters with batons
after demonstrators tried to breach security barricades
surrounding the protest site in central New Delhi, marking one
of the most serious confrontations yet in the movement’s
campaign against Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government.
The crowd at Jantar Mantar, a designated site for protests just
a few kilometers from Parliament, included students,
professionals, and families with young children. Many carried
backpacks with water and food, expecting a long day, while
others waved Indian flags. Police urged protesters to disperse
over loudspeakers, as the crowd chanted slogans against the
education minister and Modi.
A satirical movement grows into a youth-led campaign
The Cockroach Janta Party emerged in May after the Supreme Court
chief justice compared some unemployed young people to
“cockroaches” during an unrelated hearing. Supporters embraced
the remark, turning it into a satirical movement that has
attracted millions of followers on social media.
The movement has gained momentum after repeated leaks of
high-stakes entrance exams for medical colleges and government
jobs sparked public anger. It drew wider attention after police
forcibly moved hunger-striking activist Sonam Wangchuk to
hospital on Saturday.
Protesters calling themselves “cockroaches” have camped at
Jantar Mantar for the past month, with members of several
student groups joining Wangchuk’s hunger strike. Thousands of
supporters have also turned out at universities and rallies in
other cities. They are demanding the resignation of Education
Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, reforms to the examination system
and compensation for the families of students who died by
suicide following paper leaks.
Government outreach emerges amid a tense standoff
Before the march, Wangchuk said he would end his nearly
three-week hunger strike only if the government took
responsibility for failures in the education system and exam
paper leaks, or if protesters were allowed to reach Parliament
and lawmakers pledged to raise the issues in both Houses.
Delhi Police said the march had not been authorized and that
restrictions were needed to maintain law and order around
Parliament during the monsoon session, which begins Monday.
Cockroach Janta Party spokesperson Saurav Das said he and
another representative were meeting health minister J.P. Nadda,
in one of the first apparent signs of government outreach to
protest leaders. The government did not immediately confirm the
meeting.
“We shall win!,” Das wrote in a post on X.
Protests pose a challenge to Modi’s government
Senior leaders in Modi’s government have taken a hard line
against the movement. Pradhan has accused the protesters of
acting against the nation, while other ministers have
acknowledged students’ concerns but insisted there is no need
for talks or negotiations with the movement.
The protests have become a rare public challenge to Modi’s Hindu
nationalist government in its third term, drawing support from
opposition parties, rights activists and some Bollywood
celebrities. Protesters say space for dissent has shrunk under
Modi, whose government has been criticized for suppressing
public protests by jailing activists and, in some cases, using
forceful police crackdowns.
Jyoti Rajput, a yoga teacher, said she joined the protests
because “this rotten system refuses to take action.”
“It cannot see the pain of students, and that’s why so many
people have joined this movement,” she said.
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