Full Breakdown
Cockroach Janta Party Protests Education Minister Over Exam Leak
6/23/2026, 5:12:23 AM
Overview
On Saturday, hundreds of students and young supporters of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) gathered near Parliament in New Delhi, striking steel plates with spoons to demand Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation. The protest follows a leak of a medical entrance-exam paper on Telegram, which authorities postponed and banned the app. The CJP, founded in May by Boston University student Abhijeet Dipke after a Supreme Court remark likening unemployed youth to “cockroaches,” has broadened its agenda to unemployment and cost-of-living concerns. Protesters set up a “free library” with nearly 100 donated books at the site.
Timeline
- May – CJP formed after Justice Surya Kant’s “cockroach” comment.
- Saturday – Plate-banging protest near Parliament demanding Pradhan’s resignation.
- Monday (third day) – AISF sets up free library at Jantar Mantar.
Data
The CJP’s Instagram page exceeds 22 million followers. The Saturday rally drew several hundred participants. The free library displayed about 100 books on biographies, anthropology, history, law and civil-rights. Telegram was temporarily disabled across India after the breach.
Response
The Ministry of Education said the leak is under investigation and the medical entrance test will be held on Sunday. The government temporarily banned Telegram. Police deployed cameras and drones to monitor the protest.
Criticism
Protesters accuse Minister Pradhan of negligence, linking repeated paper leaks to corruption that worsens student poverty and undermines merit-based admissions, and say the leaks heighten anxiety for students.
Conflicts & Gaps
Officials confirm an investigation but give no details on the Telegram breach source or disciplinary actions. The demand for Pradhan’s resignation remains unanswered; the impact of the Telegram ban is unquantified.
Quotes
- “There is a virus called Dharmendra Pradhan that has to be removed.” — Abhijeet Dipke, CJP founder, political communications strategist and Boston University student
- “This is just the beginning. If Dharmendra Pradhan doesn’t resign or if no action is taken regarding this issue, this protest will not end here.” — Deepak Kumar, CJP supporter
- “We study in poverty, live in poverty for 24 hours everyday, for years at length, and after that our (exam) papers get leaked. Will I not get angry at this?” — Vicky Kumar, student
- “As part of our ‘Fight for Education with Education’ initiative, we set up a library at the protest site. It shows how different this protest is from others.” — Devang Aniket, AISF member
- “Literacy and awareness are the only ways to fight a corrupt education system. People have told us that these books have helped them better understand their civil rights, the country's history and its present condition.” — protester at the site
