Police baton-charge protesters in New Delhi as 'Cockroach Party' demands ministerial resignation

Armoured riot police in New Delhi baton-charged demonstrators on Monday as they attempted a banned march to parliament, marking a significant escalation in tensions surrounding the satirical Cockroach Janta Party (CJP). The confrontation occurred near the Jantar Mantar protest site, where thousands of individuals had gathered from early morning despite police barricades and a steady monsoon drizzle.

The protest is driven by widespread anger over irregularities in major university examinations, including a question paper leak that forced the scrapping of a test for 2.2 million aspiring medical students and technical failures in an online marking system for nearly two million high school students. Central to the demonstrators' demands is the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, whom they hold responsible for the systemic failures.

Saurav Das, a spokesperson for the CJP, confirmed that the movement was engaging in diplomatic channels alongside the street protests. He stated that two party members were proceeding to meet a senior minister in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cabinet, following government outreach for talks in the morning. "The government had reached out for talks. Our demands are clear. The youth has gathered in huge numbers," Das said in a post on X.

The unrest intensified following the hospitalisation of prominent activist Sonam Wangchuk on Saturday, which ended his 20-day hunger strike in support of the movement. The CJP, which emerged in May after the Supreme Court chief justice compared unemployed youth to cockroaches, has since amassed millions of social media followers. It is now viewed as one of the most significant political challenges to Prime Minister Modi since he secured a third term in 2024.

In response to the gathering, Delhi Police confirmed internet disruptions in parts of central Delhi and issued a statement warning that anyone violating prohibitory orders would face prosecution. The government maintained that the protest lacked the necessary permission. Meanwhile, opposition leaders in parliament condemned the use of force, with Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge accusing the administration of suppressing voices in the upper house, while slogans demanding the education minister's resignation echoed in the lower house.

Prime Minister Modi did not mention the protesters in a public address prior to the start of the monsoon session of parliament. However, the opposition benches continued to highlight the issue, with student protesters such as 19-year-old K.M. Gulshan asserting, "We want the government to hear us, not silence us."