Key facts
- A youth-led movement in India, the 'Cockroach Janta Party,' is protesting alleged leaks in college entrance exams.
- Activist Sonam Wangchuk is on a hunger strike, now in its third week, to pressure the government.
- Protesters are demanding the resignation of the education minister and reforms to the examination system.
- The movement gained traction after a Supreme Court justice referred to some unemployed youth as 'cockroaches,' which supporters adopted as a symbol of resilience.
- The government has not publicly acknowledged the movement's demands or opened negotiations.
A youth-led movement in India, initially dubbed the 'Cockroach Janta Party,' has escalated its protest against alleged leaks in the country's competitive college entrance exams. The movement, which gained significant traction online, is now rallying around a hunger strike led by activist Sonam Wangchuk, who is in his third week of fasting.
The protesters are demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, sweeping reforms to the examination system, and compensation for students who have died by suicide due to exam-related pressures. The movement's name was inspired by a Supreme Court Chief Justice's comment comparing some unemployed young people to 'cockroaches,' a term supporters have embraced as a symbol of resilience.
Despite amassing millions of followers online and drawing support from opposition leaders and Bollywood celebrities, the street demonstrations in New Delhi have seen modest turnout, with a few hundred to around a thousand people gathering daily at Jantar Mantar. Organizers, who lack formal structure, fund their own participation and camp at the protest site, enduring monsoon rains.
The government has largely remained silent, with the education ministry not responding to inquiries and senior leaders dismissing the movement or arguing against negotiating with protesters. This silence, however, has reportedly hardened the resolve of the demonstrators, who view the situation as a broader campaign for accountability and restoration of trust in institutions.
Organizers plan to escalate their campaign with a march to Parliament, aiming to bring their demands directly to lawmakers. They emphasize their commitment to peaceful civil disobedience and a long-term battle, asserting they will not disperse despite the government's apparent strategy of ignoring their movement.