Police in the Indian capital fired tear gas and used baton charges on Monday to disperse more than 10,000 protesters marching towards Parliament in the largest challenge yet to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration.
The youth-led demonstration, organised by the Cockroach Janta Party, was called to demand the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and a decisive crackdown on corruption within the national examination system.
The name of the movement is a satirical take on the ruling party’s name and stems from an incident where a Supreme Court chief justice compared unemployed youth to “cockroaches.”
Protesters adopted the term as a “badge of honour,” evolving from an online meme campaign with millions of followers into a powerful street movement.
Monday’s march coincided with the first day of the monsoon session of Parliament. Tensions were further inflamed by the forcible hospitalisation on Saturday of 59-year-old activist Sonam Wangchuk, who had been on a hunger strike for three weeks in solidarity with the students.
As activists gathered at Jantar Mantar, police deployed riot forces in significant numbers. Delhi’s Deputy Commissioner of Police, Sachin Sharma, urged the crowds to disperse, stating the site had run out of space. While police denied reports of scuffles, video footage showed officers using canes to push back the demonstrators.
Authorities also sealed exit points at several metro stations near the protest site to hinder the mobilization, though activists reportedly circumvented these blocks by walking from distant stations while waving the Indian flag.
The unrest follows a massive scandal in the education sector. Last month, approximately 2.2 million aspiring doctors were forced to retake a medical entrance exam under heavy security after the original test in May was annulled due to leaked questions.
The government temporarily banned the messaging app Telegram to prevent further leaks, but the stress of the situation has already had tragic consequences, with more than a dozen student suicides reported.
The government attempted to offer a minor concession by inviting two activists for talks with a senior cabinet minister on Monday morning. However, the movement’s chief spokesperson, Saurav Das, maintained that their demands remained “clear.”
By Monday afternoon, the movement reported that its founder, Abhijeet Dipke, had been detained by the police. Despite the detentions and the use of force, protesters continued to chant slogans calling for both Modi and Pradhan to quit.
