Tens of thousands of protesters have filled Delhi’s Jantar Mantar and surrounding areas in the past few days, turning a satirical online movement into one of the largest street challenges to the Hindu nationalist government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Calling themselves the “Cockroaches,” young Indians are channelling anger over the leak of exam papers into a broader campaign for government accountability.
Clashes on July 20 during a march towards Parliament drew global attention, with police using batons and tear gas. Protesters accuse authorities of excessive force. Police also reported injuries to officers and some violence from the crowd.
Delhi Police said nearly 180 people were injured in the clashes, including 118 police and security personnel and 60 protesters.
Authorities also detained 70 demonstrators and said legal action would follow.
Here’s everything you need to know about what’s going on.
Where did it all start?
The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) started in May 2026 as online satire.
It took its name from remarks by India’s Chief Justice Surya Kant, who, during a court hearing, compared some unemployed youngsters and activist litigants to “cockroaches” and “parasites.”
Many saw the comments as dismissive of a generation facing high unemployment and systemic barriers to upward mobility.
Boston University graduate Abhijeet Dipke founded the mock political party, parodying the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) name. Many young Indians embraced the remark and adopted the cockroach as an emblem of resilience.
The campaign exploded on social media, attracting more than 21 million Instagram followers within days. Supporters posted memes, mock campaign slogans and satirical commentary targeting Modi’s government over unemployment, limited job opportunities and economic pressures.
Exam scandals and a broken system
The immediate trigger for the protests was public anger over alleged leaks of some of India’s most competitive entrance examinations for medical colleges and government jobs. The exams are a pathway to stable employment and upward social mobility for millions of Indians.
The possibility that the exams have been shared in advance often forces authorities to cancel or repeat tests, leaving students with months or years of lost preparation and uncertainty.
Over 2 million students had to retake the high-stakes test after questions were allegedly sold. Reports linked it to student suicides and immense financial and emotional strain on families.
Broader grievances include repeated paper leaks, technical failures, and marking irregularities in exams like the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), the largest of India’s multiple school boards. Students and families invest years and huge sums in coaching, only to face a system that is rigged or mismanaged. Protesters demand Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation and systemic reforms.
Protests expand beyond student issues
The New Delhi sit-in initially drew a few hundred daily protesters, but the turnout soon grew into the thousands. The movement gathered more momentum after prominent activist Sonam Wangchuk joined the demonstration and began a hunger strike that has lasted more than three weeks. Police forcibly transferred Wangchuk to a hospital over the weekend.
As the protests have grown, they have embodied broader frustrations over government accountability. Many protesters say they have lost trust in institutions including the education system, political leadership, the judiciary and the media.
The movement also has attracted professionals and families beyond the core student base. Supporters across India have ordered food online with directions to share the deliveries with anyone at the protest sites.
The movement’s appeal has widened partly because of the lack of a traditional political party structure. Organisers say volunteers and supporters fund their own travel to protests and rely on social media for mobilisation.
How has the government responded?
The government initially rejected demands for talks with protesters. Pradhan, the education minister, accused protesters of working against the country’s interests and said the government had resolved the crisis by ordering fresh examinations.
The official stance began to shift only after the movement escalated. Police used tear gas and batons after thousands of demonstrators on Monday tried to push through security barricades during their march to Parliament as lawmakers returned for the monsoon session.
The crackdown led to public anger. A government minister later met movement representatives in the first visible outreach, but the talks failed to ease tensions.
Pressure also mounted after opposition leader Rahul Gandhi staged a sit-in outside Modi’s residence on Tuesday, thrusting the Cockroaches to the centre of India’s political debate.
Under mounting pressure, Pradhan said the government was committed to “addressing every genuine concern of our youth” during the ongoing Parliament session but did not say whether he will resign, which remains a core demand of the protesters.
Meanwhile, Modi said on Thursday the government has decided to set up fast-track courts to ensure swift punishment for culprits behind paper leaks as protests centred in the national capital spread to other cities.
