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Police block thousands of 'cockroach' protesters marching on India's parliament
| Big Bear Energy | 07/20/26 |
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Date: July 20th, 2026 5:48 PM Author: Big Bear Energy https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvg9w9dxd7lo
Thousands of supporters of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), a youth-led protest movement seeking education and employment reforms, defied a police ban and tried to march on parliament to demand India's education minister resign. Police wielding canes used tear gas to disperse crowds in central Delhi. Several demonstrators said they were injured in the cane charges. Police did not comment. Some in the crowd threw stones, reports said. The march followed weeks of protests over alleged exam paper leaks and accusations of a wider education system crisis. The movement has broadened into one of the most visible expressions of public dissent against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in recent years. It gathered fresh momentum over the weekend after police forcibly moved activist Sonam Wangchuk into hospital on the 21st day of a hunger strike in support of the movement. His wife says his fast continues. On Monday, Wangchuk appealed to doctors to discharge him so he could join the march but was not allowed. The movement takes its name from a remark by India's chief justice, who drew criticism after comparing sections of unemployed young people to "cockroaches" during a court hearing. Although police had made clear protesters would not be given permission to march to parliament, tens of thousands of students, parents, teachers and professionals gathered from early morning at Jantar Mantar, a 300-year-old observatory in central Delhi, and remained there despite heavy rain. It remains unclear whether the CJP will call off its protest or try to continue the sit-in. By late evening police had completely dismantled the protest site. The contrast between it and the security outside was striking. Young people draped in Indian flags queued for food, painted placards and posed for photographs, while rows of police and paramilitary personnel sealed every road to parliament around them. Volunteers handed out food and water, patriotic songs blared from loudspeakers and organisers repeatedly urged supporters not to confront police if they were stopped. |