Hundreds of young students gathered in New Delhi for the first street protest organized by the “Cockroach People’s Party” against alleged irregularities in recent exams. Holding cockroach-shaped paper masks and flyers, the protesters demanded the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, criticized for the irregularities found, including the leak of exam papers for medical school and high school entrance tests.
Read more AI companions, the spread of chatbots with whom we form emotional relationships
“We want the government to take responsibility,” Utkarsh Raj, an aspiring medical student, told AFP at the protest site, which was guarded by police in riot gear. “How is it possible that exam papers are leaked in this country? How can that be fair?” added Raj, 16. The protesters were led by Abhijeet Dipke, a 30-year-old Boston University graduate, who arrived in New Delhi today from the United States. His parody party, the “Cockroach Janta Party” (CJP), a pun on cockroaches and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has gained millions of followers on social media since its launch last month. The movement was born after Indian Supreme Court Chief Justice Surya Kant compared young people criticizing the government to “cockroaches” and “parasites” during a hearing, sparking outrage among young people. “The youth of the country will no longer be afraid of anyone, they will fight,” Dipke, a former political communication strategist for the opposition Aam Aadmi Party, told supporters at the rally. “Cockroaches are not afraid of anything and never die,” Dipke added. The CJP’s popularity has skyrocketed, thanks to the slogan “a political front for the youth, by the youth, for the youth.”
Read more American Consulate, the investigation widens: the workers’ manager also arrested
“India deserves better management of such crucial exams by the government,” said Sarthak, a 20-year-old who only gave his first name to AFP. Last month, authorities canceled the national medical school entrance exam after investigators discovered a leak of the question paper. Indian media reported cases of suicide among teenagers following the fiasco of the National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET), one of the country’s most competitive exams. This added to another scandal related to the online grading system for tests taken by nearly two million high school students. “Young people have to take these exams and these grading systems cannot be allowed to completely lose credibility,” said Sapan Gyan, 52, who accompanied his children to the protest. Despite rapid economic growth, millions of people in India still struggle to find stable, well-paying jobs, fueling discontent among young people. According to the International Labour Organization, youth unemployment in India, for ages 15 to 24, is around 16%. In recent years, some of India’s neighboring countries, including Bangladesh and Nepal, have seen youth movements against corruption and political apathy that have led to the fall of incumbent governments.
Read more Companies learning team building by working with inmates
