India’s viral ‘cockroach’ youth movement takes to the streets of Delhi

Hundreds of young people gathered in New Delhi on Saturday for a protest organized by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), a viral online movement, demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged mismanagement of public examinations affecting millions of students.

The satirical campaign was started by US-based student Abhijeet Dipke after India’s Chief Justice Surya Kant compared unemployed youth to “parasites and cockroaches.” Kant later clarified that his remarks referred to people holding fake degrees, not unemployed graduates.

Launched on May 16, the CJP quickly gained traction online, attracting 22 million supporters on X before its handle was blocked in India following what the platform described as “a legal demand.” Organizers soon created a new account, “Cockroach is Back.”

For now, the group’s primary demand is Pradhan’s resignation. Members point to recent controversies involving leaked medical college entrance exam papers and problems with a newly introduced digital correction process for school final examinations as evidence of a failing education system.

Hundreds of protesters, including school students, assembled at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, carrying placards reading “Cockroach never die” and “How many times will there be a paper leak government?” Demonstrators chanted slogans like: “Bharat Mata ki jai” (victory to mother India), “Hum nahi darenge” (We will not be scared). Large numbers of police monitored the site.

“Who is responsible for the collapse of the education system. Who is responsible for so many students committing suicide? Where are the jobs for young people?” asked 23-year-old protester Satya Kumar, questioning government accountability.

The movement describes itself as a “Voice of the Burnt-out Youth,” representing a generation that is “overqualified, frustrated, and angry.” As of Saturday, it had registered over 21,750 members.

Dipke, 30, who recently completed a master’s degree in public relations in the United States, attended the protest. He has earlier said he had received online death threats urging him to shut down the movement.

ANEWS wp:paragraph