June 20, 2026
Cockroach Janta Party returns to Delhi with fresh protest against education minister
The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) is holding its second major protest in New Delhi on Saturday, as it pushes for the resignation of India’s Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
Supporters of the viral “cockroach” movement are calling for Pradhan’s ouster over alleged exam irregularities, reflecting deep frustration among young people over corruption and failures in the education system.
This comes after hundreds joined CJP protests in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune, Lucknow and Amritsar. Earlier this month, the capital witnessed CJP’s first big protest with hundreds in attendance.
Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the CJP, asked each person to bring a plate and spoon along, posting on his X account that “the cockroaches too will make their voices heard by banging thalis (metal plates) at Jantar Mantar.”
In 2020, during the Covid-19 lockdown, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had called for Indians to bang pots and pans in support for doctors, nurses and other workers involved in the fight against coronavirus.
Activist Sonam Wangchuk is expected to attend the protest.
CJP urges Modi to remove education minister
On Friday, Dipke wrote an open letter to Modi highlighting the cases of student suicides due to exam stress.
“Over the recent weeks, we have tragically lost 11 young students to suicide,” Dipke wrote. “All that we students want is to see some accountability for the loss of lives.”
“By acknowledging that Dharmendra Pradhan has destroyed India’s education system and by taking decisive action to replace him… you will be demonstrating to the nation that you possess the strength and resolve to enforce true accountability in this country,” the letter said.
