What is India’s ‘cockroach’ movement – and why are people protesting?

WorldPolitics
22 Jul 2026 • 9:21 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

What is India’s ‘cockroach’ movement – and why are people protesting?

  • Thousands of young people, identifying as "cockroaches," have continued widespread protests across India, including New Delhi, demanding accountability for a significant exam leaks scandal and calling for the resignations of education minister Dharmendra Pradhan and prime minister Narendra Modi.
  • The demonstrations intensified following a brutal police crackdown on a largely peaceful march towards parliament earlier in the week, which saw the use of tear gas and baton charges, leading to numerous injuries among students and activists.
  • Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, along with other senior politicians, was detained after staging a sit-in outside the prime minister's residence in Delhi, where he demanded Modi's resignation for allegedly undermining the future of India's youth.
  • Despite authorities defending police actions as proportionate and the Supreme Court declining a petition alleging police violence, solidarity protests have spread nationwide, with further reports of police intervention in cities such as Patna and Mumbai.
  • Abhijeet Dipke, the movement's founder, has initiated a hunger strike, rejecting government offers for talks and asserting that protests will persist until Pradhan resigns, while the Education Minister has offered parliamentary discussion but accused opposition parties of exploiting students.

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