'India's Gen Z' Cockroach Party Vows to Continue Peaceful Protests Despite Police Crackdown

The Indian Gen Z group 'Cockroach Jan Party' (CJP), which is campaigning for the resignation of the Minister of Education over a medical school entrance exam leak scandal, is increasing pressure on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government by continuing its protests despite a harsh police crackdown.

On July 21, local time, the CJP announced via social media that it would continue peaceful protests until its demands, including the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, are met.

Ashutosh Lanka, a spokesperson for the CJP, stated on X (formerly Twitter), "We will not stop. Pradhan must be dismissed."

Hundreds of CJP protesters held a rally at Jantar Mantar, a designated protest site in the heart of the capital, New Delhi, on this day to protest against the alleged leak of national medical school entrance exam questions.

The previous day, when thousands of CJP protesters attempted to march to the parliament near Jantar Mantar, police used tear gas and batons to block them.

According to the police, the violent clashes resulted in approximately 180 injuries, including 118 police officers and about 60 protesters, while around 70 protesters were detained and are facing legal action.

The police accused the protesters of engaging in unruly, aggressive, and violent behavior.

In relation to this, Jagat Prakash Nadda, India's Minister of Health and Family Welfare, stated that he met with CJP leaders, including spokesperson Lanka, the previous day in a "friendly atmosphere" and requested a full halt to the protests.

In response, spokesperson Lanka told AFP, "It is a shameful day in the history of Indian democracy that good students who came out to the streets to raise legitimate issues were brutally beaten by the Delhi Police."

He also added that despite the meeting with Minister Nadda, the government has yet to respond to their demands, and he urged the authorities to confirm the number of detained protesters and release them immediately.

Abhijit Dipke (30), the founder of the CJP, stated, "We had to stop the march yesterday because we did not want any more young people to get hurt," adding, "We will not march (to parliament) again because the police will hurt the young people again."

Regarding the protests the previous day, the international human rights organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) called it "one of the largest anti-government protests (in India) in recent years" and urged the police to exercise restraint.

The CJP was founded in May, satirizing a remark by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant that compared unemployed youth to cockroaches, and has amassed over 23 million followers on Instagram alone.

The group has been campaigning for the resignation of Education Minister Pradhan since last month, following allegations of question leaks and mismanagement in the 'National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET)' for medical school admissions held in May.

The NEET, which medical school aspirants take, is considered one of the most competitive exams in India.

This year, 2.205 million students took the exam at approximately 5,000 test centers across India.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.