India’s ‘cockroach’ protest turns violent

Several thousand students and other youngsters converged in central New Delhi Monday in an attempt to march to the Indian Parliament and press for the resignation of the country’s education minister Dharmendra Pradhan.



It marked a dramatic escalation in the weeks-long ongoing protest mounted by the viral Indian youth-led social movement, the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), which has been demanding Pradhan’s resignation.



They are accusing him of failing to prevent a spate of competition exam paper leaks that have led to exams being cancelled, leaving youth frustrated and distressed.



What began as a peaceful campaign in the morning turned violent in the afternoon, as the police cracked down on the Jantar Mantar protest site, beating protesters with sticks and batons in their attempt to clear the venue. They also fired tear gas shells in the vicinity where thousands had thronged.