Hundreds of students, young professionals, and job seekers have maintained a sit-in for a third consecutive day in India’s capital, demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan following a controversial medical entrance exam.
The demonstration at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar is spearheaded by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), a satirical collective that has gained significant traction online for its parody of Indian politics, reports BBC.
The group, which derives its name from the ruling BJP, is campaigning for systemic accountability in the nation’s education sector. The unrest centres on the NEET-UG, a highly competitive medical test that was thrown into chaos following allegations of a paper leak.
While National Testing Agency (NTA) conducted a re-test under heightened security on Sunday and reported no new incidents, protesters argue that the issue reflects a broader failure of the system.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, a student at Boston University who returned to India to lead the movement, said the group will continue its demonstration until Pradhan steps down. “We are here for accountability,” Dipke told supporters, noting that the crisis has affected millions of candidates.
The CJP emerged last month after comments by India’s Chief Justice, Surya Kant, sparked public outrage. During a court hearing, the judge compared certain unemployed individuals to “cockroaches” and “parasites”.
Although he later clarified he was referring to those with fake degrees, the backlash birthed #MainBhiCockroach (“I too am a cockroach”) movement, which now boasts over 22 million Instagram followers.
At the protest site, demonstrators have used satire to highlight their grievances, wearing cockroach masks and holding placards such as one reading, “Einstein can be born in our country too if the diaper of the education system does not leak”.
The site also features a board with photographs of students who reportedly died by suicide after the exam was cancelled. The sit-in began on 19 June.
Despite their permit expiring the following day, protesters refused to vacate the area, even as they endured rising temperatures and alleged attempts by police to restrict access to water and electricity.
The movement has also drawn support from the general public. Jyoti Thakur, a 23-year-old storekeeper, and Gaurav Jain, a 39-year-old lawyer, were among those who joined the sit-in, citing the need for a more accountable society through education reform.
As of Monday, neither Education Ministry nor BJP has responded to the demands for the minister’s resignation.
