India activists demand release of detained ‘cockroach’ protesters

India’s youth-led “cockroach” movement, whose protests have forced the education minister’s resignation, urged the authorities to release all demonstrators detained in weeks of rallies nationwide.



The online Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), which organised protests over exam paper leaks and other irregularities, said they had received reports of students held in detention, particularly in the states of Assam, West Bengal and Bihar.



“Any failure to release those detained or withdraw criminal cases would amount to a breach of public trust,” the protest group said in a statement, adding that they would take “further necessary steps” if their demand is not met.



The statement comes two days after Dharmendra Pradhan resigned as education minister over repeated failures in the conduct of competitive exams that have fuelled anger among millions of young Indians.



The CJP accused the government of backtracking after the authorities had assured them that no punitive action would be taken against protesters.