Cockroach Janta Party rallies at New Delhi for youth protests
At New Delhiโs Jantar Mantar, Indiaโs most famous protest strip, hundreds of mostly young people in cockroach masks and with dog-eared exam guides in hand tried to turn an online joke into a real-world force. They call themselves the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) โ a satirical โpe
At New Delhiโs Jantar Mantar, Indiaโs most famous protest strip, hundreds of mostly young people in cockroach masks and with dog-eared exam guides in hand tried to turn an online joke into a real-world force.
They call themselves the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) โ a satirical โpeopleโs partyโ born barely three weeks ago after Indiaโs chief justice reportedly likened government critics and unemployed youth to โcockroachesโ and โparasitesโ.
What began as a parody account and meme factory has since exploded into a channel for anger over exams, jobs and a fraying sense of economic promise.
On Saturday, that digital discontent stepped off the screen. Waving Indiaโs national flag and clutching schoolbooks, the protesters demanded the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan after a string of exam paper leaks, technical glitches and cancelled tests.
For many, the fiasco over the NEET medical entrance exam โ and reports of student suicides โ symbolises a system young Indians say has no credibility left.
The CJPโs founder, 30-year-old political strategist and Boston University graduate Abhijeet Dipke, flew in from the United States to lead the rally, telling supporters that โcockroaches donโt ever fear.โ
Police in riot gear and steel barricades underscored the risks of dissent in an era when large protests have often been met with crackdowns and criminal cases.
With more than 20 million followers on Instagram, CJP has already outgrown many mainstream parties online.

