Why are thousands protesting for education reform in India? . From hundreds to thousands: How India's 'cockroach' protest movement has grown Updated 23 July 2026In India, tens of thousands of Gen Z protesters have taken to the streets of the capital Delhi, calling for the resignation of the country's education minister. Starting as a satirical online movement just a couple of months ago, the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) is now one of India's most visible youth movements.
Here is what you need to know. Why did students take to the streets in Delhi?Despite its humorous origins, the CJP quickly became a lightning rod for disaffected young people in India, where there is high youth unemployment. Despite its name, it's not a party.
The movement is led by Abhijeet Dipke, a 30-year-old political communications strategist and former student at Boston University. He told the BBC it started as a joke. "I thought we should all come together, maybe just start a platform." But after offering the option to responses.This propelled it forward into becoming a serious protest group, and on 9 July it announced a march to parliament to take place on 20 July.
Tens of thousands turned out in Delhi. Hundreds also attended protests and candle-lit vigils in other cities such as Mumbai, Bengaluru and Goa.The protest took on added significance because of the treatment of Sonam Wangchuk, a well-known engineer and activist.He went on hunger strike on 28 June in support of the CJP at Jantar Mantar, a 300-year-old observatory in central Delhi, which is often the site of protests. On Saturday, the 59-year-old was forcibly taken to hospital, prompting outrage from CJP supporters and drawing further attention to the protest movement.
He has continued fasting in hospital. e called for the release of Sonam WangchukWhy are they called 'cockroach' protesters?The name of the Cockroach Janta Party (the Cockroach People's Party) came about in response to comments made by India's Chief Justice, Surya Kant. During a court hearing in May, he allegedly compared unemployed young people drifting towards journalism and activism to cockroaches and parasites.He later clarified that he had been referring specifically to people with "fake and bogus degrees", not India's youth more broadly.The name is a parody of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has been in power since 2014.Spilling off the internet and into real life, young volunteers to the movement have turned up dressed as cockroaches at clean-up drives and protests. ere injured when police tried to disperse Monday's huge crowd with baton charges and tear gasWhat does the CJP want?The CJP is mostly protesting over issues they have with India's education system. The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) is India's main entrance exam for admission to medical colleges across the country.
Nearly 2.28 million candidates sat the exam on 3 May, having studied for months - in some cases years - for the notoriously difficult paper. However, days later, it was cancelled after allegations that the questions had been leaked. A subsequent government inquiry confirmed the leak.It was a big blow to aspirants, who had to resit the exam under tight security weeks later.
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