Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi ended a period of silence over mass protests on Thursday, pledging swift justice for repeated exam paper leaks that have eroded confidence in the country’s education system and inflamed youth anger. Yet his assurances appear to offer little relief to the escalating unrest that now grips the capital and beyond.
ахбарат
Thousands of students remained camped in central Delhi late Thursday night, joined by opposition party leaders and activists from the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), the group at the heart of the recent demonstrations.
The CJP—named after a remark by India’s chief justice that likened unemployed youth to “cockroaches” and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party—originated in May as an online satire. In the same month, السिजन 2 million students who sat for the competitive National Medical Entrance Exam saw their results annulled after authorities discovered question leaks. The scandal, mirroring earlier higher‑education controversies, has been associated with roughly a dozen student suicides, and a retest held in June failed to dissipate public outrage.
The CJP has channeled this frustration into street action, now officially calling for nationwide protests. Its latest mobilization urged student unions across India to hold demonstrations on Friday, amplifying a central demand: the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
In a post on X early Thursday, Modi warned that “those who threaten the future of our youth will not be spared,” although he made no reference to Pradhan.
The CJP’s push for expanded peaceful protests followed three days after police charged and tear‑gassed thousands of demonstrators marching toward Parliament, injuring more than 100 people and detaining dozens who were subsequently forced onto police buses.
Anushree Fadnavis/Reuters
Abhijeet Dipke, head of the Cockroach Janta Party, gestures to supporters during a sit‑in protest demanding the resignation of Indian Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, in New Delhi, June 20, 2026.
Back at Jantar Mantar, a historic protest site in central Delhi, Thursday’s atmosphere was one of defiance. Participants sang verses by revolutionary poets while chanting “Cockroach Zindabad,” meaning “Long live the cockroach.” Placards reading “Save Education, Save the Future” dotted the perimeter, and distant supporters sent plates of rice, chicken, and other provisions via food delivery apps.
“Seeing so many people here has sparked hope,” said Ankit Sarthi, preparing for India’s civil service exams. “This is now about more than fixing the education system. We want to remind the government that accountability is required.”
Tanisha Bose, a Delhi University graduate student, concurred that the movement is expanding both in scale and scope. “There is deep rot in our country’s system overall,” she noted, adding that the protests send a clear message to Modi.
Authorities again restricted mobile internet access around the protest site on Wednesday, an action that, according to the Internet Freedom Foundation, was undertaken without a public suspension order and appeared to violate Indian law.
