Cockroach movement supporters march to Indian parliament

Thousands of supporters of the youth-led Cockroach movement have gathered to march to India’s parliament, demanding the resignation of the education minister.

The gathering comes despite police denying permission for the protest, as the government appeared to open its first talks with movement leaders.

Scores of police surrounded the barricaded protest site in the heart of New Delhi, raising the prospect of a confrontation if demonstrators pressed ahead with the march.

Television footage showed police striking some protesters with batons after they tried to breach security barricades.

The crowd at Jantar Mantar, a designated site for protests just a few miles from Parliament, included students, professionals, and families with young children.

Many carried backpacks with water and food, expecting a long day, while others waved Indian flags.

Police urged protesters to disperse over loudspeakers, as the crowd chanted slogans against the education minister Dharmendra Pradhan and prime minister Narendra Modi.

The Cockroach Janta Party emerged in May after the Indian supreme court chief justice compared some unemployed young people to “cockroaches” during an unrelated hearing.

Supporters embraced the remark, turning it into a satirical movement that has attracted millions of followers on social media.

The movement has gained momentum after repeated leaks of high-stakes entrance exams for medical colleges and government jobs sparked public anger. It drew wider attention after police forcibly moved hunger-striking activist Sonam Wangchuk to hospital on Saturday.

Protesters calling themselves “cockroaches” have camped at Jantar Mantar for the past month, with members of several student groups joining Wangchuk’s hunger strike.

Thousands of supporters have also turned out at universities and rallies in other cities. They are demanding the resignation of education minister Mr Pradhan, reforms to the examination system and compensation for the families of students who died by suicide following paper leaks.

Before the march, Mr Wangchuk said he would end his nearly three-week hunger strike only if the government took responsibility for failures in the education system and exam paper leaks, or if protesters were allowed to reach Parliament and lawmakers pledged to raise the issues in both Houses.

Delhi Police said the march had not been authorised and that restrictions were needed to maintain law and order around Parliament during the monsoon session, which begins Monday.

Cockroach Janta Party spokesperson Saurav Das said he and another representative were meeting health minister JP Nadda, in one of the first apparent signs of government outreach to protest leaders. The government did not immediately confirm the meeting.

“We shall win!” Mr Das wrote in a post on X.

Senior leaders in Mr Modi’s government have taken a hard line against the movement. Mr Pradhan has accused the protesters of acting against the nation, while other ministers have acknowledged students’ concerns but insisted there is no need for talks or negotiations with the movement.

The protests have become a rare public challenge to Mr Modi’s Hindu nationalist government in its third term, drawing support from opposition parties, rights activists and some Bollywood celebrities.

Protesters say space for dissent has shrunk under Mr Modi, whose government has been criticised for suppressing public protests by jailing activists and, in some cases, using forceful police crackdowns.

Jyoti Rajput, a yoga teacher, said she joined the protests because “this rotten system refuses to take action”.

“It cannot see the pain of students, and that’s why so many people have joined this movement,” she said.