India’s Youth-Led ‘Cockroach Janta Party’ Takes to the Streets Demanding Education Reforms

An unlikely symbol of the movement is 59-year-old activist Sonam Wangchuk, who has been on a hunger strike for weeks.

The protest, which began in response to exam paper leaks and student suicides, has gained momentum over the past two months.

Supporters of the movement, known as the ‘Cockroach Janta Party,’ have taken to the streets to demand the resignation of the education minister and sweeping reforms to the examination system.

The movement has drawn professionals beyond the world of education, including climate activists and IT professionals.

Organizers say the government’s silence has hardened their resolve, and they are preparing to escalate the campaign with a march to Parliament on Monday.

At the heart of the camp, activist Sonam Wangchuk lay inside a tent, his weakened frame showing the toll of weeks on hunger strike.

“If not fasting, what? Riots in the streets? That’s what we don’t want to do. So this is a peaceful way to take your voice to the government,” Wangchuk said.

The movement seeks the resignation of the education minister, Dharmendra Pradhan, over the alleged leaks, along with sweeping reforms to the examination system and compensation for families of students who died by suicide.

The presence of Wangchuk, a well-known climate activist, shows how the protest has drawn professionals beyond the world of education.

High-profile attention is growing. Opposition leaders from several political parties and some Bollywood celebrities have visited the camp or lent support to the movement in recent days.

But turnout in New Delhi has been modest compared with the large online following.

On most days, a few hundred people gather at Jantar Mantar for a sit-in, with crowds typically swelling to around 1,000 by evening.

Many have endured weeks of monsoon rain, sleeping in tents.

Unlike established political parties, Dipke said, the movement has no formal structure.

Supporters pay their own way to New Delhi, where they camp at Jantar Mantar, a designated public protest ground enclosed by police barricades.

There has been no police attempt to shut down the protest.

Ajay Zingade, a 33-year-old IT professional, said recurring exam paper leaks compelled him to join the protest despite no longer being a student.

“I am just exercising my fundamental right of dissent,” he said.

Organizers say the movement has grown into a broader campaign for accountability and restoration of trust in institutions that students believe have failed them.

“The system needs a complete overhaul because the current system is no longer accountable or even taking basic responsibility,” Dipke said.

Senior leaders in Modi’s government have largely dismissed it, with the education minister accusing its members of working against the country.

Other government leaders have argued that while students’ concerns deserve attention, there is no need for the government to negotiate with them.

Protest organizers say the government’s silence has hardened their resolve as Wangchuk’s hunger strike continues.

“In a democracy the government is supposed to listen to the people, to have a dialogue with the people, and more importantly to be answerable to the people,” Dipke said.

For Wangchuk, his strike is an attempt to channel that anger into peaceful civil disobedience.

“It’s to demand accountability, which is important in any government,” he said.

Organizers say they are preparing to escalate the campaign with a march to Parliament on Monday.