India’s ‘Cockroach Janata Party’ Storms Parliament, Police Respond With Force

On a sweltering July 20 morning, the streets around Jantar Mantar in New Delhi turned into a sea of banners, chants and, oddly enough, a few cockroach‑shaped emblems. The Cockroach Janata Party – a tongue‑in‑cheek, youth‑driven movement founded by political‑communications strategist Abhijeet Dipke – had organised what it called the “Chalo Sansad” march, a direct walk to the Parliament precinct demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

Why the dramatic name? The group says the cockroach, an animal that survives against the odds, mirrors the resilience of India’s Gen‑Z students battered by a leaking NEET‑UG question paper. Since the leak surfaced in late June, the party has been rallying students, parents and even a few senior teachers, insisting that the government take responsibility for the wave of suicides that followed.

What started as a sit‑in at Jantar Mantar quickly spilled over onto Sansad Marg. By mid‑day, the crowd – estimated at several thousand – was chanting “Pradhan resign now” while holding up placards that read “One crore per family for the lost lives”. The demand for a ₹1 crore (about US $104,000) compensation per family of the deceased students appears in multiple reports, though the exact figure varies between outlets.

Meanwhile, the authorities reacted with a mix of old‑school crowd control and new‑age digital blackout. Police deployed tear‑gas canisters and lathi (baton) charges, and a temporary internet and mobile‑data shutdown was imposed across central Delhi, cutting off social‑media updates for a few crucial minutes. Metro stations near Patel Chowk were shuttered, and the Delhi police said they were “ensuring public safety”. In the aftermath, at least 38 injured protesters were taken to Lady Hardinge Medical College, while another 65 made their way to Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital. Gulf News, citing local hospitals, put the total number of injured at roughly 178 – a mix of demonstrators and police officers.

Among the faces that drew particular attention was Sonam Wangchuk, a snow‑clad activist who had been on a hunger strike since June 28 to demand an impartial probe into the NEET leak. He was shifted to a hospital on July 18 after fainting, and his condition became a rallying point for the protestors, who claimed his treatment was being delayed deliberately.

While Delhi was the epicentre, the movement echoed across the country. Parallel demonstrations flared up in Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Goa, Guwahati, Thiruvananthapuram, Jammu and Ahmedabad, each echoing the same core demands: resignation of the Education Minister, a transparent inquiry into the exam paper leak, and compensation for the grieving families.

Government officials, including Home Minister J P Nadda, defended the police action as “necessary to maintain law and order”. Yet critics argue that the heavy‑handed approach only fuels the anger of a generation that feels unheard. As the monsoon session of Parliament gets under way, all eyes will be on whether Minister Pradhan will step down or whether the Cockroach Janata Party’s buzz will fizzle out like a misplaced insect.