‘We have done it’: Joy as ‘Cockroach’ protests push India minister out

New Delhi, India – It all started with a question: “What if all cockroaches came together?”

Thirty-six days after Abhijeet Dipke’s social media post, the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) he created had scored a major political victory: Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan announced he was stepping down in the face of widespread protests over an exam paper leak scandal.

His resignation on Saturday was one of the main demands of the youth-led demonstrations across India that in recent weeks had grown into a major challenge for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

“We have done it, we have done it,” Dipke screamed into the microphone, as he broke the news to the thousands of supporters at the Jantar Mantar protest site in the heart of New Delhi, where the internet had been blocked.

He went on to read the names of students who had died by suicide due to exam paper leaks and cancellations that have impacted millions across India – and dedicated the protesters’ victory to them.

The announcement sparked euphoric scenes of celebration.

“They called us lazy and unemployed,” said ۱۹-year-old Lavanya Bharti, referring to comments by India’s chief justice likening India’s youth to “cockroaches” and “parasites”, which sparked the creation of the CJP, a satirical spin on Modi’s BJP that has been in power since ۲۰۱۴.

“We [are] lazy enough to sleep on our Parliament Street for days; we are unemployed, bro,” she said. “We have erased the fear that Modi spent years building. Cockroaches are crawling all over you, Modi,” she shouted, before joining other protesters dancing.

The CJP then called on protesters to “return home peacefully” after the government “accepted” all its demands.

They included compensation for the families of students who had died by suicide, assurances that protesters would face no punitive action and a public apology from police and paramilitary forces for attacks on demonstrators, such as on July ۲۰ when more than ۱۰۰ protesters were wounded during their march to Parliament.

Video of the crackdown, including police firing tear gas and using batons and canes against protesters, fuelled nationwide anger and prompted tens of thousands of people to take to the streets across India – from Bengaluru and Jaipur to Lucknow, Mumbai and Patna.

“I will go back to my home now, happily,” said Mehdi Hasan, ۲۵, who had been sleeping at the Jantar Mantar protest site for the last month after travelling more than ۱,۱۲۰km (۶۹۶ miles) from his home in Begusarai in Bihar.

Holding a poster calling for accountability, he added: “We are the people of this country, showing the government that its power is not absolute”.

Nearby, ۱۸-year-old Shruti Bedi said Pradhan’s resignation was a victory for students but warned it was not enough.

“There needs to be a total reform, a total takeover of the government in our hands,” she said, shaking a black spray paint can in her hands. “People have this deep-rooted contempt in their hearts,” Bedi continued, noting that the biggest accomplishment of the Gen Z protesters is “citizens finding their voice back”.

Critics say the disconnect between the so-called Generation Z in India pushed the government into a corner.

“How long until politicians’ kids are educated abroad and we are beaten up by police on the streets for demanding our rights?” asked Bedi, near a group of friends who held the popular Japanese manga One Piece, a symbol adopted by Gen Z protest movements against inequality, unemployment and old leadership worldwide.

Finally, as the protest site was emptying, the “cockroach” movement’s official handle on X posted a reply to Dipke’s post that sparked it all

“And today, friends, we found out what happens [when the cockroaches assemble].”