Thousands of protesters supporting India’s youth-led Cockroach movement marched towards the Parliament in New Delhi on Monday, only to be met with a strong police response. The protesters, who were demanding the resignation of the education minister, Dharmendra Pradhan, were stopped by police using tear gas and batons. The police action came after the protesters tried to breach the security barricades surrounding the protest site in central New Delhi.
The Cockroach movement, which emerged in May after the Supreme Court chief justice compared some unemployed young people to ‘cockroaches’, has gained momentum in recent weeks due to the repeated leaks of high-stakes entrance exams for medical colleges and government jobs. The movement has attracted millions of followers on social media and has drawn support from opposition parties, rights activists, and some Bollywood celebrities.
Protesters, including students, professionals, and families with young children, gathered at Jantar Mantar, a designated site for protests just a few kilometers from Parliament. Many carried backpacks with water and food, expecting a long day, while others waved Indian flags as chants against the education minister and Prime Minister Narendra Modi rippled through the growing crowd.
The Cockroach movement has been demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, reforms to the examination system, and compensation for the families of students who died by suicide following paper leaks. Protesters have also been calling for the government to take responsibility for failures in the education system and exam paper leaks.
Saurav Das, a spokesperson for the Cockroach Janta Party, accused authorities of ‘brutally cracking down’ on ‘peaceful protesters’. Delhi Police said the march had not been authorized and that restrictions were needed to maintain law and order around Parliament during the monsoon session, which began on Monday.
The government has been criticized for suppressing public protests by jailing activists and using forceful police crackdowns. Protesters say that space for dissent has shrunk under Modi’s Hindu nationalist government in its third term. Jyoti Rajput, a yoga teacher, said she joined the protests because ‘this rotten system refuses to take action’. ‘It cannot see the pain of students, and that’s why so many people have joined this movement,’ she said.
Sneha Eppili, a 26-year-old protester, said she joined the demonstration because she believes the government has a responsibility to answer their questions. ‘I voted for this government, so I think it’s accountable to answer our questions. That’s the basic human right that I deserve,’ she said.
Senior leaders in Modi’s government have taken a hard line against the movement. Pradhan has accused the protesters of acting against the nation, while other ministers have acknowledged students’ concerns but insisted there is no need for talks or negotiations with the movement. However, the government appeared to make its first outreach to the movement’s leaders on Monday when representatives of the movement held talks with Health Minister J.P. Nadda.
The talks were the first apparent sign of government outreach to protest leaders, who sought to bring their demands directly to lawmakers, prompting authorities to tighten security around the complex. CJP spokesperson Das, who met Nadda, said he presented the protesters’ demands, including the immediate resignation or removal of the education minister.
Activist Sonam Wangchuk, who has been on a hunger strike for nearly three weeks, appealed for permission to temporarily leave the hospital and join the march. In a handwritten note, he said he would end his hunger strike only if the government took responsibility for failures in the education system and exam paper leaks, or if protesters were allowed to reach Parliament and lawmakers pledged to raise the issues in both Houses.
The protests have become a rare public challenge to Modi’s government in its third term, drawing support from opposition parties, rights activists, and some Bollywood celebrities. Protesters say that the government has a responsibility to answer their questions and take responsibility for failures in the education system and exam paper leaks.
