Rahul Gandhi was dragged into a bus and taken to a detention centre on Tuesday — a day after police used batons and tear gas on tens of thousands of protesters in Delhi. The Congress leader was later released, but the images of his detention have become a rallying symbol for a youth-led movement that began as an online joke and now threatens to destabilise Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government.
The protests, organised by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), were triggered by the leak of medical school entrance exams and a Supreme Court judge comparing unemployed young people to “cockroaches”. Despite heavy rains overnight, thousands of supporters have maintained a round-the-clock sit-in at Jantar Mantar, the 300-year-old observatory that has become the movement’s main base. On Monday, at least 60 people were injured when police dismantled their stage and makeshift tents, but the demonstrators refused to leave.
“Congress joins 'cockroach' protests in India after police crackdown, demanding resignations.”
The movement got a boost on Tuesday when the main opposition Congress party joined the protests. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Gandhi led a surprise march to the prime minister’s house, demanding the resignations of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Home Minister Amit Shah and Modi himself. “The speaker said he needed to take permission from the government,” Gandhi said of his attempt to raise the issue in parliament. “It was very clear to us that there was no interest in the government of having a debate.”
Federal Minister Jitendra Singh denied Gandhi’s allegation, saying the government had accepted the demand for a discussion but that Gandhi later also demanded Pradhan’s resignation. He accused the Congress MP of “changing the goalpost”.
Later on Tuesday, several senior opposition leaders — including former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and veteran politician Sharad Pawar — visited the protesters at Jantar Mantar. The CJP, which began as an online joke, is now a serious challenge to Modi’s government, with Congress sharing videos of their leader being dragged away by police.
The protests show no sign of abating, and the monsoon session of parliament has been overshadowed by the crackdown. With education reforms at the heart of the movement, the government faces mounting pressure to respond — or risk further escalation.