India’s “Cockroach” Protest Movement Faces State Repression
After weeks of ignored demonstrations, thousands of students, alongside parents, teachers, and supporters from across India marched on Parliament to press their demands. They were met with tear gas, police violence, and detentions.
India’s “Cockroach” protest movement, sparked by leaked entrance exams, has grown from a student sit-in into a nationwide campaign to challenge Narendra Modi’s government over youth unemployment and government accountability. (Ishant Chauhan / Hindustan Times via Getty Images)
On the night of July 20, thousands of young protesters from across India slept on footpaths near the Jantar Mantar protest site in New Delhi ahead of a planned march on Parliament. The march, dubbed “Chalo Sansad,” was organized by the youth-led Cockroach Janta Party (CJP). The protest movement began on June 20 in response to growing anger among students and young people over high unemployment and leaks involving national entrance examinations, including the NEET-UG medical entrance exam. Protesters demanded the resignation of the union education minister over the government’s handling of the exam scandal, as well as compensation for the families of students who died by suicide after the test was canceled.
On July 19, the Delhi Police issued a public advisory prohibiting unauthorized assemblies, protests, and the planned “Chalo Sansad” march under emergency public order policies. Large numbers of security forces were deployed, and all of the roads leading to Parliament were closed with barricades. Mobile internet was suspended in parts of the city during the ensuing violence.
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