India’s “Cockroach” Movement Swells, Challenging Government Over Exam Scandals
Thousands of students and activists gathered in New Delhi on Wednesday, escalating protests against India’s government. The “Cockroach Janta Party” (CJP) movement, driven by anger over widespread examination scandals, has become a significant challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration since his re-election this year. Protesters are demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
Crowds at the Jantar Mantar site in the heart of the Indian capital swelled to several thousand people, according to reports. CJP spokesman Ashutosh Ranka told supporters, “We will not leave Jantar Mantar until Dharmendra Pradhan resigns. We have awakened a country where questioning the government was once considered treason.”
The movement gained significant support from opposition parties this week. On Tuesday, opposition lawmakers staged a sit-in outside the prime minister’s residence. Senior Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi, briefly detained on Tuesday, appeared in parliament Wednesday to demand accountability and an apology for the police crackdown on protesters. The Samajwadi Party also protested in parliament, with leader Akhilesh Yadav criticizing Prime Minister Modi’s silence on the issue affecting millions of young Indians.
The CJP movement began in May as a satirical response after Chief Justice Surya Kant reportedly called young people “cockroaches” and “parasites.” It has since broadened its focus to include concerns about youth unemployment and what it describes as an increasingly authoritarian style of governance.
Tensions flared on Monday as police used tear gas and baton charges against demonstrators trying to march to parliament. Protesters responded by throwing stones in what became the capital’s largest street rally in five years. Rights groups, including Amnesty International, have raised serious questions about the police’s use of force. India’s Supreme Court declined to hear a petition alleging police brutality on Wednesday.
The protests stem from several exam irregularities. These include the leak of a medical entrance examination paper, forcing over two million candidates to retake the test. Another dispute involves the online marking of examinations for nearly two million high school students.
Education Minister Pradhan, facing growing pressure, stated his commitment to reform and to discussing the issue in parliament. “We owe them (students) answers, reforms and accountability,” he said in a social media post, adding that students “deserve certainty over chaos.”
Support for the CJP movement has grown beyond Delhi, with smaller protests also taking place in cities like Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Goa. These events highlight a growing youth voice demanding change.
