India’s Cockroach Janta Party has demanded the release of demonstrators detained during weeks of nationwide protests over exam paper leaks.
New Delhi, India – Web Desk: India’s youth-led “cockroach” protest movement, credited with forcing the resignation of the country’s education minister, has urged authorities to release all demonstrators detained during weeks of nationwide rallies.
The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), an online movement that organised protests over examination paper leaks and other irregularities, said it had received reports of students being held in detention, particularly in the states of Assam, West Bengal and Bihar.
The group said any failure to release detained protesters or drop related criminal cases would represent a breach of public trust, warning that it would take further action if its demand was not addressed.
The statement came two days after Dharmendra Pradhan resigned as education minister following repeated failures in the conduct of competitive examinations that had fuelled widespread anger among young Indians, particularly over the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET).
The CJP accused the government of backtracking on earlier assurances that no punitive action would be taken against protesters, despite what the group described as a prior understanding with authorities.
Since its launch in May by 30-year-old public relations graduate Abhijeet Dipke, the movement has built a large following on social media, drawing tens of thousands of demonstrators, mostly students, to rallies in New Delhi and other cities last week demanding Pradhan’s resignation and broader reforms to the examination system.
The protests turned confrontational on July 20, when demonstrators attempted to march from the Jantar Mantar protest site toward parliament. Police responded with tear gas and batons to disperse the crowd, resulting in clashes and a wave of detentions that the CJP is now seeking to reverse.
The fallout continued to reverberate in parliament on Monday, with repeated disruptions as opposition lawmakers pressed the government over last week’s police response. Despite the disruptions, the government pressed ahead with introducing legislation in the lower house proposing tougher penalties for examination paper leaks.
The developments mark a pivotal moment for one of India’s most notable youth-driven protest movements in recent years, testing whether the government’s concessions on reform will extend to addressing detentions linked to the demonstrations.
