ByREUTERS

JULY 20, 2026 09:58

Updated: JULY 20, 2026 11:05

Backers of India's youth-driven cockroach initiative encountered police batons on Monday while trying to advance toward parliament in New Delhi, although officials had withheld approval for the gathering.

The relatively new campaign and its scheduled action mark the most notable public test for Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his third term, having drawn millions of followers via social platforms before expanding its reach.

A police choice to transfer hunger-striking activist Sonam Wangchuk to a medical facility on Saturday has energized the effort, prompting thousands of supporters to gather overnight at the Jantar Mantar protest location in central New Delhi ahead of the march on the first day of parliament's monsoon session.

Delhi police conducted discussions with Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) representatives, yet no agreement had been achieved, according to Sachin Sharma, Delhi's Deputy Commissioner of Police.

"The protest location has already exceeded capacity, and this risks creating an unfavorable incident," he noted, indicating roughly 10,000 demonstrators present on Monday morning.

Scores of police, security deployed to parliament area

Numerous police and paramilitary forces were positioned at the location, raising the prospect of a confrontation near parliament should the march proceed.

Television footage captured officers using batons on some demonstrators in a heavily secured zone.

Participants reported that security forces also deployed tear gas to scatter supporters attempting to advance toward parliament. Reuters journalists nearby detected explosions but could not confirm the firing of shells.

"Government is now bent on violence and firing tear gas shells on peaceful protestors!" the Cockroach Janta Party movement stated in a post on X/Twitter.

Delhi Police rejected claims of force and described the "protest as being handled professionally."

Demonstrators shouted slogans while arriving calmly amid rain in central Delhi.

"Quit, quit," they shouted. "Dharmendra Pradhan quit," "Narendra Modi quit," they called in Hindi, targeting the education minister along with the prime minister.

"The administration is trying to open talks with the government... They have come very late, but we have opened our hearts and said that we are willing to talk to them," Saurav Das, chief CJP spokesperson, told the ANI news agency.

The CJP campaign started after national medical school entrance test papers were leaked in May, impacting over 2 million students by requiring a retake of the exam.

"All these leaders in power are illiterate, and I am here to protest because we do not want question papers to leak," said Adi Nathan, 21, a student from Meerut city, about 100 km (62 miles) from the capital. "This should come to an end."

Mohammed Tabrez, 22, a student preparing for competitive examinations that allow students admission into professional courses or jobs, said he had come from Amroha in Uttar Pradesh state, about 165 km (103 miles) away.

"We want this corruption to end," he said. "We want all the frauds in paper leaks, in competitive examinations to end, and this is the reason I have come here."

Activist sets terms to end his fast

The CJP initially gained backing mostly online, reaching 22 million followers on Instagram within days, but has since received support from some opposition parties.

CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke and his supporters started a sit-in last month demanding the resignation of Pradhan. Wangchuk joined them on June 28, beginning an indefinite hunger strike at the site.

In a handwritten note from the hospital posted on his X account on Monday, Wangchuk said he would end his fast if the government took responsibility for recent failures in the education system and for paper leaks, or if CJP protesters were allowed to reach parliament and lawmakers assured them they would take up the issues.

He said he would also end the hunger strike if lawmakers and leaders of various parties met him in hospital and gave him the same assurances since his health did not allow him to march on parliament.

The rise of the CJP reflects frustrations among young Indians over issues like high youth unemployment and frequent examination paper leaks, analysts say.

Unemployment in 2025 stood at 3.1% among those aged 15 and above, government data show, but was 9.9% among those aged 15 to 29. In urban areas, it was 13.6%, and 8.3% in rural regions.