Led by 'Cockroach Party', Gen Z Protests Indian Government Performance and Education

Thousands of Generation Z demonstrators took to the streets of the Indian capital, Delhi, to demand the resignation of the country’s education minister. The demonstration was led by the ‘Cockroach Janta Party’ (CJP). Beginning as a satirical online movement a few months ago, the CJP has now become one of the most prominent youth movements in India. Although it started with humour, the CJP quickly became a platform for young Indians dissatisfied with government policies, amidst the country’s high youth unemployment rate. Despite its name containing the word ‘party’, the CJP is not a political party. The movement is led by Abhijeet Dipke, a 30-year-old political communication strategist and former Boston University student. He told the BBC that it all began as a joke. ‘I thought we should get together, maybe start a platform,’ he said. After offering the public a chance to join the movement via a Google form, he received tens of thousands of responses, prompting the CJP to evolve into a serious protest group. On 9 July, they announced a march to parliament scheduled for 20 July. Tens of thousands then attended the rally in Delhi. Hundreds more joined protests and candlelight vigils in other cities such as Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Goa. The protests drew increased attention due to the authorities’ treatment of Sonam Wangchuk, a well-known engineer and activist. Sonam began a hunger strike on 28 June to support the CJP at Jantar Mantar, a 300-year-old observatory in central Delhi that is a frequent protest site. On 18 July, the 59-year-old was forcibly taken to hospital by the authorities, sparking anger among CJP supporters and drawing wider attention to the protest movement. Sonam continued his hunger strike in hospital. The name Cockroach Janta Party emerged as a response to a comment by Indian Supreme Court Justice Surya Kant. He later clarified he was referring to people with ‘fake and illegitimate degrees’, not young Indians in general. However, by the time the clarification was issued, the comment had already spread widely online and sparked outrage. The name Cockroach Janta Party is a play on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which has been in power since 2014. Since the CJP was declared, various volunteers from the movement have attended clean-up drives and protests wearing cockroach costumes. The CJP is protesting various issues they consider problematic in India’s education system. The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) is the nationwide entrance exam for medical colleges. Nearly 2.28 million candidates sat the notoriously difficult exam on 3 May, after studying for months or even years. However, days later, the exam was cancelled following allegations that the question papers had been leaked. Anger over this incident was one of the reasons the CJP started the protests. The CJP and several families also allege that around 20 students died by suicide due to the pressure after the exam was cancelled. The NEET exam was also mired in controversy in 2024. The CJP is calling for an overhaul of the education system and the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Following the treatment of Sonam Wangchuk, CJP leader Abhijeet Dipke also called for Modi to resign. It remains unclear whether the CJP will succeed in ousting the education minister and overhauling India’s education system. However, the movement has clearly had a major impact. The protest on Monday was the largest demonstration against the Modi government seen in Delhi in recent years. Police tried to disperse the crowd with batons and tear gas after protesters attempted to breach barricades. Authorities also dismantled the stage and emergency tents at Jantar Mantar, the main protest base. At least 60 protesters were injured by the police action and 70 were detained, while Indian police claimed 118 of their personnel were injured. However, the protesters refused to leave. People continued to gather at the site around the clock, braving rain as well as Delhi’s oppressive heat and humidity. Congress Party MP and opposition leader Rahul Gandhi said his party decided to demonstrate outside Modi’s residence because they were not allowed to raise the issue in parliament. The Congress Party later shared a video showing Gandhi and other party MPs being detained and taken away in a police bus. They were released a few hours later.