Hundreds of students who call themselves "cockroaches" have been camping out for three days in the Indian capital, demanding the resignation of a senior minister in Narendra Modi’s government and reforms to the country’s education system.
Gen-Z supporters of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), a non-political movement born out of self-deprecating humour, braved the sweltering June heat to assemble at New Delhi’s designated protest site Jantar Mantar on Saturday.
They are demanding the resignation of education minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the alleged mismanagement of hugely important college entrance and school-leaving exams, and say they will continue their sit-in until they get what they want.
Students banged metal plates with spoons, sang the national anthem, waved humorous posters, and swayed to AR Rahman’s popular version of Vande Mataram as the party’s founder, Abhijeet Dipke, called for accountability from the government.
The CJP is a satirical take on Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and was formed in response to disparaging remarks about young people made by India's chief justice, Surya Kant. He has since said his comments were taken out of context.
The movement amassed nearly 22 million followers on Instagram in less than four weeks, becoming one of the country’s biggest viral sensations. Analysts have framed it as one of the biggest challenges to Modi’s authority in years – but there are doubts over whether such online popularity can translate into large numbers on the ground.
Several hundred were present at the protest over the weekend, most of them students aged between 18 and 24, who have spent the majority of their lives under Modi’s rule and say they have grown tired of his politics of religious polarisation. “We want reforms and development, not politics of hate,” said a 23-year-old student who declined to be named.
“My friends are aspiring doctors; they are studying for exams, so I am here with my sister to represent them. The youth need to stand up for one another. The older generation has failed us," she said, standing in the 40C heat, holding a poster that read: "Go Pradhan Go".
Pradhan has faced mounting criticism over the cancellation of the national entrance test for medical students after a high-profile alleged leak, a decision that affected 2.3 million aspiring doctors. Within a matter of weeks, serious flaws were also exposed in the online grading system involving school leaving exams for millions of students.
The government responded by banning Telegram, in a bid to prevent another leak, and aspiring medical students undertook their re-examination on Sunday amid airport-style security checks and other heightened vigilance. For some, the measures are too late – at least 12 prospective students are reported to have died by suicide between the cancellation of the National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test (Neet) in May and the re-examination on 21 June.
On Saturday most of the media covering the protest were YouTubers and participants documenting the event for their own Instagram pages, hoping to gain followers and views off the back of the movement’s remarkable viral success.
It might be tempting to dismiss the cockroaches as a viral fad, but after nightfall, when hundreds of paramilitary personnel moved in to clear the site, the protest became a test of their resilience.
Nearly 48 hours later, Dipke and his supporters remained camped at the site, enduring the heat through day and sleeping on the ground at night, defying police orders while holding firm to their demands.
"We are demanding justice for the millions of students wronged. We want Dharmendra Pradhan to take responsibility," Dipke said, his voice broken from the constant sloganeering.
Dipke, a recent graduate from Boston University, returned to New Delhi earlier this month to lead the protests from the online space to the ground. After testing the waters in the capital on 6 June, he organised events in several major Indian cities, including Mumbai, Bengaluru, Nagpur and Jaipur, where he was assaulted.
"We are steady in our demands. We will continue this protest. The government thinks they can exhaust us, but they are wrong," he told The Independent on Saturday as the police switched off the lights and prevented drinking water from being brought into the venue.
"More than 10 million students are affected. Twelve students have died by suicide. That doesn't need any ideology to protest. Irrespective of their ideologies all people should come here and join this protest," Dipke said.
Police officers The Independent spoke to said they had been asked to refrain from using brute force on protesters. The officers later allowed food and water to enter.
"The movement will go on," Dipke said, when asked if the protests would end with the resignation of Pradhan.
"We are already on the streets. Where else should we take this," he said when asked whether the cockroaches were prepared to take the fight to the doors of power.
Thus far the movement’s message doesn’t seem to be reaching Pradhan, who has neither acknowledged the protests nor responded to their criticisms. The episode has heightened a sense that accountability for top government ministers has waned under Modi’s rule, while protesters are frustrated at not having their voice heard.
"We want the government to open a channel of communication with the delegation of CJP," said Sourav Das, a journalist-turned-spokesperson for the cockroaches.
But Das appeared as uncertain as the party itself when asked where the movement was headed. "We are here protesting for now. Let's see what happens," he told The Independent.
Isha Sharma, 22, said she had arrived at the protest venue prepared to be detained by the police or to take the demonstration outside the venue if needed, but argued that the lack of a driving ideology was an issue.
"It is a leaderless protest. There is no ideological packing. No political backing," she said. "But it is important to seek justice."
Vijay Reddy, 30, is one of the members of the CJP's core team. He travelled from Hyderabad to New Delhi along with nine other members to extend his support to Dipke. "I left my political affiliation in Hyderabad. We are here to support the students and help the CJP organise," he told The Independent.
Several others had travelled from across the country to take part in the protest. One of them is a resident of Chandigarh, a four-hour train journey north of Delhi, and considerably older than most. He says he is the father of a student doctor, asking not to be named. “My son is pursuing his MD,” he says. “I can feel the pain of all those families of aspiring doctors who died by suicide.
“These kids are doing a great job by voicing their demands.”
While the CJP’s demands are specific to the education sector, it has found a wider resonance with all kinds of young Indians, who account for more than a quarter of the population but face shrinking job prospects and rising unemployment.
Unemployment among Indians aged 15 to 29 stood at 9.9 per cent in 2025, rising to 13.6 per cent in urban areas, according to the Indian government’s Periodic Labour Force Survey.
The CJP’s success also reflects a broader trend across South Asia, where youth-led movements born on social media have emerged as powerful forces in recent protests that toppled governments in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal. It seems unlikely that the same would happen in India, but the message from the cockroaches is clear – ignore us at your peril.
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