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Gen Z protesters defy police in Delhi demanding Education Minister's resignation.

Jun 22, 2026 Politics

Heat waves batter New Delhi as supporters of the Cockroach Janta Party defy police orders and camp indefinitely in the capital. This Gen Z uprising demands the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan after exam scandals shattered youth faith in the system.

Abhijeet Dipke, a Boston University graduate, returned from the United States to transform online mockery into street protests. He now mobilizes young Indians angry over leaked question papers and unfair scoring that ruined their futures.

Nearly half of India's 1.4 billion people are under twenty-five, yet they face systemic failures that push them toward despair. Frequent leaks and score discrepancies have triggered widespread outrage among students already crushed by academic and employment pressures.

The movement began as jokes following comments by the chief justice comparing youth to cockroaches. Dipke responded by asking what happens if all cockroaches unite, sparking a viral campaign that grew rapidly on social media.

Instagram followers for the group now exceed 22 million, doubling the reach of India's ruling party which has governed for twelve years. Since staging the first demonstration on June 6, Dipke has expanded the protest to Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Nagpur.

Eighteen-year-old Sachin Kumar slept on the roads at Jantar Mantar, sharing earphones with new friend Shubhankar. Kumar studied intensely for a year before taking India's premier medical entrance exam, only to watch it cancel after a leak surfaced.

"I lost all resolve," Kumar told reporters, noting that many students slip into depression while authorities ignore their plight. He has not touched his books since the scandal erupted.

Nearly 1.7 million students retaken the exams on Sunday, yet Kumar remains at the protest site refusing to return home. The government banned Telegram to stop leaks, but critics dismiss this as merely a temporary fix.

More than a dozen students died by suicide between the two exam dates, intensifying demands for the minister to step down. Kumar stated he no longer trusts the fairness of competitive exams under incompetent leadership.

These teenagers slept on streets against parental wishes, marking their first protest against the Hindu nationalist rule established since 2014. Delhi police attempted to disperse the crowd by cutting off water and food supplies near the barricaded site.

Late into the night, remaining protesters danced to hip-hop tunes or sat in circles debating politics while ignoring police warnings. Dipke insists his group will not leave until Pradhan resigns, an unprecedented event in Modi's twelve-year tenure.

Supporters believe the resignation is imminent as they camp out in the sweltering summer heat. This struggle highlights how government directives directly impact millions of young people seeking education and employment opportunities.

A defiant leader addressed Al Jazeera with a stark warning. He declared that government efforts to exhaust the population are fundamentally flawed. The speaker insisted the community will maintain its presence indefinitely. This refusal marks a critical escalation in the ongoing standoff. Authorities now face a prolonged resistance that defies their containment strategies. Public sentiment shifts rapidly as the government's patience wears thin. Immediate action is required before the situation spirals further out of control.

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