Tens of thousands of young protesters have taken to the streets of Delhi demanding the resignation of India's education minister, in one of the largest demonstrations against Narendra Modi's government in recent years. The movement, known as the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), began just months ago as a satirical online joke but grew rapidly after its founder, political strategist Abhijeet Dipke, received tens of thousands of sign-ups via a Google form, transforming it into a serious youth-led protest movement.

Monday's demonstration was triggered by the forced hospitalisation of activist Sonam Wangchuk, who had been on hunger strike for 20 days in support of the CJP at Delhi's historic Jantar Mantar site. The group's grievances centre on India's education system, particularly the cancellation of the NEET medical entrance exam in May after alleged question leaks affected nearly 2.28 million candidates, which CJP says contributed to around 20 student suicides. The party's name mocks a remark by Chief Justice Surya Kant likening unemployed youth to "cockroaches", and is also a parody of Modi's ruling BJP; protesters are now calling for both Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Modi to resign.