Protest led by India's 'cockroach party' enters its third day
Hundreds of students, young professionals and job seekers have gathered in India's capital for a third day of protests demanding Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation
Hundreds of students, young professionals and job seekers have gathered in India's capital for a third day of protests demanding Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation over a controversial medical exam. The demonstration at Delhi's Jantar Mantar is being led by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), a new collective that gained attention online for its satirical take on Indian politics. The group, whose mascot is a cockroach, takes its name from PM Narendra Modi's BJP party and says it is campaigning for greater accountability in education.
The protests centre on NEET-UG, one of India's most competitive medical tests, which was thrown into turmoil after allegations of a paper leak. The controversy sparked outrage among students and parents, prompting authorities to cancel the results and order a fresh examination. On Sunday, millions of candidates returned to exam centres across India to sit the test again under heightened security measures, including biometric checks. The Testing Agency (NTA), which conducts the exam, later said the re-test had been completed smoothly and that it had received no complaints of paper leaks.
For protesters gathered at Jantar Mantar, however, the re-test has not ended the controversy. Many say the issue is no longer just about one test, but about accountability for a system they believe has failed millions of students. "We are here for accountability," CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke told supporters on Sunday, calling on more people to join the protest. Dipke, a student at Boston University in the US, arrived in India earlier this month and held the group's first protest at the same venue before travelling to other cities.
Since then, the collective has drawn growing attention online and organised demonstrations in several parts of the country. The sit-in began on 19 June after police approved a protest scheduled to end at 17:00 local time (11:30 GMT) on 20 June. When the permit expired, supporters refused to leave, saying they would continue demonstrating until Pradhan resigns.
The BriefWire