Photos: Police fire tear gas at India’s Cockroach movement supporters

In Pictures

By News Agencies

The article is dated 20 Jul 202620 Jul 2026.

The Cockroach movement emerged in May as a satirical protest after a Supreme Court justice compared unemployed youth to cockroaches.

Supporters of India’s youth-led Cockroach movement have clashed with police as thousands attempted to march to Parliament, demanding the education minister’s resignation, while the government has appeared to launch its first public outreach to the group leaders.

On Monday, police deployed tear gas and baton-charged protesters who attempted to break through security barricades at the protest site in central New Delhi.

The crowd at Jantar Mantar, a designated protest site about 2km (1.2 miles) from Parliament, included students, professionals and families with young children.

The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) emerged in May after the Supreme Court’s chief justice compared some unemployed young people with “cockroaches” during an unrelated hearing. Supporters embraced the remark, turning it into a satirical movement that has attracted millions of followers on social media.

The movement has gained momentum after several leaks of critical exams for medical schools and civil service positions sparked public outrage. It garnered broader notice when police on Saturday forcibly transferred hunger-striking activist Sonam Wangchuk to a hospital.

Protesters calling themselves “cockroaches” have camped at the Jantar Mantar park for the past month, with members of several student groups joining Wangchuk’s hunger strike. Thousands of supporters have also turned out at universities and rallies in other cities. They are demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, reforms to the examination system and compensation for the families of students who died by suicide after paper leaks.

The movement's growing strength reflects deep frustration with systemic failures in India's education and employment systems. The government's potential outreach to the group's leaders suggests a desire to defuse tensions, but the protesters' demands for the education minister's resignation and exam reforms remain unresolved. Continued protests and the involvement of students and families could increase pressure on the government to act.