Supporters of India’s viral Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) staged a loud and symbolic protest in New Delhi on Saturday, banging steel plates with spoons as they demanded the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over allegations of exam irregularities and repeated paper leaks. Hundreds of students and young activists gathered near Parliament, adding fresh pressure on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government while seeking to broaden their growing national support base.
Authorities deployed heavy security, with police monitoring the demonstration through drones and surveillance cameras. Protesters carried placards and clattered utensils a pointed satire of Modi’s 2020 call for citizens to bang plates in support of frontline health workers during the height of the COVID‑19 pandemic.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, a political communications strategist and Boston University student, urged supporters online to bring plates and spoons to the rally. Addressing the crowd, he accused the education minister of failing students and declared, “There is a virus called Dharmendra Pradhan that has to be removed.” He added that the movement was open to dialogue with the government but only if Pradhan stepped down.
Many protesters echoed the sentiment. “This is just the beginning,” said supporter Deepak Kumar. “If Dharmendra Pradhan doesn’t resign or if no action is taken, this protest will not end here.”
The anger stems from the leak of a nationwide medical entrance exam last month via the messaging app Telegram. Authorities postponed the exam and temporarily banned Telegram in India while the investigation continues. The rescheduled test is set for Sunday. For many students, the scandal represents a breaking point. “We study in poverty, live in poverty for years, and then our exam papers get leaked. Will I not be angry?” said student Vicky Kumar.
The CJP movement emerged in May after Supreme Court Judge Surya Kant compared some unemployed youth to “cockroaches,” sparking widespread outrage. Supporters reclaimed the insult as a symbol of resilience, helping the group amass more than 22 million Instagram followers in a matter of weeks.
Since then, the movement has evolved into a broader critique of unemployment, rising living costs and government accountability. Blending self‑deprecating humour with sharp political commentary, CJP supporters often describe themselves as “unemployed and chronically online,” while memes mocking corruption and bureaucratic dysfunction rack up millions of views. Numerous parody accounts have adopted the cockroach as a satirical political emblem.
What began as a moment of online outrage has now spilled onto the streets and Saturday’s clattering protest suggests the movement is only getting louder.
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