What next for India’s ‘Cockroach’ movement after education minister sacked

What the report says

Al Jazeera reports that India’s Gen Z-led “Cockroach” movement has ended its weeks-long sit-in at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi after Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned. The protests, organised by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), had drawn thousands of students and young people demanding action over exam paper leaks, cancellations and wider education reforms. Analysts cited by Al Jazeera described the resignation as a major political setback for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s BJP-led government.

According to the report, the movement’s remaining demands include compensation for families of students who died by suicide after being affected by paper leaks and exam disruptions. Protesters have sought 10 million rupees for each of about 20 families, while the government said it would provide the maximum possible compensation under existing rules. The CJP also demanded that criminal cases against protesters be dropped and that police and paramilitary forces apologise for a July 20 crackdown that reportedly injured more than 100 demonstrators.

Al Jazeera says the government pledged that cases would not proceed in BJP-governed states and that existing cases would be withdrawn, but arrests have still been reported in several states. Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi has called for accountability over the police action and said Congress would press Modi for an apology in Parliament.

The CJP has not laid out a firm roadmap. Members told Al Jazeera they are resting, regrouping and considering a broader agenda beyond education, including grassroots outreach and townhall-style consultations. The group, which emerged only in May after a social media post mocking a judge’s “cockroach” remark about unemployed youth, is also weighing whether it could eventually enter electoral politics.