Viral ‘Cockroach Party’ leads India protest over exam leak
New Delhi, India—Hundreds of young students gathered in New Delhi on Saturday for the first street protest organized by the satirical “Cockroach People’s Party” over alleged irregularities in recent major examinations.
Protesters, some in paper cockroach masks—a reference to reported remarks by India’s top judge—called for the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the irregularities, including question paper leaks and technical glitches.
“We want accountability from the government,” 16-year-old Utkarsh Raj, who hopes to pursue a medical career, told Agence France-Presse (AFP).
“How is it that exam papers get leaked in this country? How is this right?”
The protest, watched closely by police officers in riot gear, was led by Abhijeet Dipke, whose parody “Cockroach Janta Party”—a play on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party—has won 22 million followers on Instagram since its launch last month.
“This protest is for the future of this country. This protest is for jobs,” Dipke, a former political communications strategist for the opposition Aam Aadmi Party, told the rally.
“The youth of the country… will fight,” said the 30-year-old organizer, who returned to on Saturday.
The movement emerged after India’s Chief Justice Surya Kant reportedly likened young people who criticized the government to “cockroaches” and “parasites” during a court hearing, sparking outrage.
