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New Delhi Police Break Up Mass Youth March Led by Cockroach Janta Party

A social-media-born youth movement demanding the education minister’s exit has forced a direct test of trust in India’s exam system and put new political pressure on the Modi government.

Overview

  • The Cockroach Janta Party called thousands to march toward Parliament and police dispersed the crowd with batons and tear gas near the Sansad precinct on Monday, July 20.
  • Organizers say camps and hunger strikes continue in New Delhi and leaders vow to press on until Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigns, after talks with government officials produced no concession.
  • Official accounts put the number of injured at about 178–180, mostly police, while CJP organizers say 'hundreds' of protesters were hurt and casualty and arrest figures remain contested.
  • The CJP was launched online in May by Abhijeet Dipke, has drawn millions of followers, and has used nonviolent tactics such as sit-ins and hunger strikes including the high-profile fast by Sonam Wangchuk, who was forcibly hospitalized.
  • The protests crystallize deeper grievances over repeated national exam leaks, the high-stakes nature of entrance tests and the jobless outlook for young graduates, and they have prompted calls in Parliament for debate and greater transparency.