INDIA PERSPECTIVE

New Delhi, July 23, 2026. Three days after the start of an unprecedented protest movement, the Indian capital remains tense. The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), born two months ago as an online satire, mobilized more than 50,000 people on Monday during a "Sansad Chalo" march towards Parliament, before the Delhi police dispersed the crowd with batons and tear gas. The official toll reports around 180 injured, including 118 police officers and 60 protesters, and 70 people arrested, according to a police statement cited by The Hindu Business Line.

The movement draws its anger from the leak in May of subjects from a national medical entrance exam, which affected more than two million students and forced a re-draw - an episode that the CJP frames as a symptom of deeply rooted corruption in the education system, according to The Hindu Business Line. Some candidates reportedly took their own lives after this episode. Protesters are demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

On Tuesday, the unrest crossed a political threshold: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi organized a sit-in in front of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's residence, demanding his resignation "for destroying the future of Indian youth." He was briefly arrested by the police, as was his sister Priyanka Gandhi, according to The Guardian India. "The government does not want to take any responsibility, nor debate the issue in Parliament," Gandhi said.

Videos showing police officers without identification plates beating female protesters have widely circulated, fueling criticism. The Deccan Chronicle editorial stated that the government "had many opportunities to fix what is wrong" in the education system and denounced disproportionate repression. CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke apologized to injured protesters: "The girls were brutally beaten by police. We could have protected you better." Activist Sonam Wangchuk is pursuing an indefinite hunger strike in support.

Despite internet shutdowns and barricades erected in the capital, hundreds of protesters are still camping at Jantar Mantar. The movement, described by several Indian outlets as the biggest challenge faced by Modi since his third term, is now spreading beyond Delhi, according to Deccan Chronicle.