Student protests in India

“Cockroaches” demand release of arrested protesters

The Indian protest movement, the Cockroach Party, is demanding the release of protesters arrested in connection with the widespread protests against the government. AFP reports.

According to the movement, the government has backed down from an earlier promise that the protesters would not be punished.

The movement got one of its most important demands through the other day when Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned. It promised to pause the recurring mass protests. The Cockroach Party is now warning that they will “take further necessary steps” if their demands are not met.

Police officer who fired on students with AK-47 has been suspended

The police officer in the Indian state of Bihar who was caught on film running and firing at protesting students with an AK-47 has been suspended, NDTV reports.

The video clip has gone viral in India.

“The whole system is downright deadly for students,” writes opposition leader Rahul Gandhi on X.

He adds that the government is using “all means to silence the students.” He is now demanding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi apologize to the country’s students.

The youth movement “Cockroach Party” has been driving the protests and this weekend they got their main demand, which is for Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to resign, passed.

The “Cockroach Party” protest movement — that’s the point

• The Indian youth movement “Cockroach Party” has grown from a satirical online phenomenon to a mass movement with over 22 million followers on Instagram.
• The movement was started by recent graduate Abhijeet Dipke after India’s chief justice called unemployed young people “cockroaches.”
• Two days earlier, two million students had been forced to retake their medical entrance exams after the exam questions were leaked and sold to the highest bidder. At least 20 students took their own lives following the scandal.
• The protests have included hunger strikes, demonstrations and petitions.
• The movement has grown to encompass broader demands for education reforms, measures against youth unemployment and corruption, and has received support from parents, opposition politicians and other community groups.