{"id":49419,"date":"2026-07-27T12:55:15","date_gmt":"2026-07-27T19:55:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/?p=49419"},"modified":"2026-07-27T12:55:16","modified_gmt":"2026-07-27T19:55:16","slug":"cockroaches-won-youth-led-protests-called-off-after-indias-education-minister-quits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2026\/07\/27\/cockroaches-won-youth-led-protests-called-off-after-indias-education-minister-quits\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Cockroaches Won!\u2019: Youth-Led Protests Called Off After India\u2019s Education Minister Quits"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/media-library\/india-politics-education-protest.jpg?id=67538285&amp;width=1200&amp;height=400&amp;quality=70&amp;coordinates=0%2C1237%2C0%2C424\" alt=\"INDIA-POLITICS-EDUCATION-PROTEST\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Cockroach Janta Party supporters wave Indian flags a day after the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, in Mumbai, on July 26, 2026.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(Photo by Punit Paranjpe\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u201cDon\u2019t mistake the beginning for the end,\u201d said the Cockroach Janta Party, which vowed to press for further reforms and government accountability.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/author\/brett-wilkins\">Brett Wilkins<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Jul 26, 2026 (CommonDreams.org)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>India\u2019s Cockroach Janta Party ended its five-week multi-city&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/tag\/protest\">protest<\/a>&nbsp;on Saturday after the youth-led movement\u2019s key demand\u2014the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan\u2014was met.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe have done it,\u201d CJP spokesperson Saurav Das&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/thewire.in\/politics\/education-minister-dharmendra-pradhan-resigns\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">told<\/a>&nbsp;a jubilant crowd at New Delhi\u2019s Jantar Mantar. \u201cPradhan has sent in his resignation, which means that our first demand has been met.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>RECOMMENDED&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/news\/cockroach-janta-protest\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/media-library\/india-politics-education-protest.jpg?id=67508901&amp;width=1200&amp;height=1200&amp;quality=70&amp;coordinates=833%2C0%2C834%2C0\" alt=\"INDIA-POLITICS-EDUCATION-PROTEST\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/news\/cockroach-janta-protest\">\u2018Black Day for Democracy\u2019: Indian Police Bash and Gas Youth-Led \u2018Cockroach\u2019 Protesters<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/news\/pete-hegseth-budget-request\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/media-library\/us-secretary-of-defense-pete-hegseth-testifies-before-a-us-house-armed-services-committee-hearing-in-washington-dc-on-april-29.jpg?id=66667477&amp;width=1200&amp;height=1200&amp;quality=70&amp;coordinates=833%2C0%2C834%2C0\" alt=\"Hegseth Is Demanding US Households Pay $5,000 More Per Year to Fund the Pentagon, Economist Says\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/news\/pete-hegseth-budget-request\">Hegseth Is Demanding US Households Pay $5,000 More Per Year to Fund the Pentagon, Economist Says<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Das said that the protesters\u2019 second main demand, the withdrawal of criminal investigations targeting CJP members, was also met. However, members and supporters of the movement noted that some cockroach protesters remain in detention and vowed to continue pressing for their release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Pradhan\u2019s resignation is the first such surrender to public pressure during the 12-year tenure of Hindu nationalist Indian Prime Minister\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/tag\/narendra-modi\">Narendra Modi<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-x wp-block-embed-x\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"hi\" dir=\"ltr\">\u0927\u0930\u094d\u092e\u0947\u0902\u0926\u094d\u0930 \u092a\u094d\u0930\u0927\u093e\u0928 \u0915\u0947 \u092e\u0902\u0924\u094d\u0930\u0940 \u092a\u0926 \u0938\u0947 \u0907\u0938\u094d\u0924\u0940\u092b\u093c\u0947 \u0915\u0947 \u092c\u093e\u0926 \u092e\u0941\u0902\u092c\u0908 \u0915\u0947 \u0936\u093f\u0935\u093e\u091c\u0940 \u092a\u093e\u0930\u094d\u0915 \u092e\u0947\u0902 \u091c\u0936\u094d\u0928 \u092e\u0928\u093e\u0924\u0947 \u0932\u094b\u0917\u0964<br><br>\u091b\u093e\u0924\u094d\u0930\u094b\u0902 \u0915\u0940 \u091c\u0940\u0924 \u0915\u0940 \u0916\u0941\u0936\u0940\u0964 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/kwrICGjzN4\">pic.twitter.com\/kwrICGjzN4<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Cockroach Janta Party (@CJP_for_India) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/CJP_for_India\/status\/2081318225027952657?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 26, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cConsidering the situation at Jantar Mantar and elsewhere in the country, and so that anti-national forces do not take advantage of the circumstances, national unity is maintained, no student\u2019s future gets entangled in legal complications, and our&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/tag\/children\">children<\/a>&nbsp;can focus on their studies and building their careers, I have submitted my resignation,\u201d Pradhan said in a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/dpradhanbjp\/status\/2080938216505667663\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">statement<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Pradhan\u2019s tenure was marred by repeated leaks of National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET) papers in a scandal that has upended the lives of millions of students by forcing them to retake the grueling exams and delaying their university admissions. CJP organizers said more than 20 students have killed themselves over the matter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The now-ex education minister had&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/national\/kharge-targets-dharmendra-pradhan-over-terrorist-remark-on-protesting-students\/article71141879.ece\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">dismissed<\/a>&nbsp;the protesters as \u201cthe B-team of terrorists.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On Sunday, Modi said he would authorize the creation of an examination reform task force headed by Nandan Nilekani, co-founder of Indian tech giant Infosys.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe government of India is continuously taking various measures for the future of students,\u201d the Bharatiya Janata Party prime minister\u00a0<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/narendramodi\/status\/2081371118188028277\" target=\"_blank\">said<\/a>\u00a0in a video posted on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/tag\/social-media\">social media<\/a>. \u201cHowever, we must look to the future. Our examination system needs to be reliable and transparent, and it must make maximum use of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/tag\/technology\">technology<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-x wp-block-embed-x\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"hi\" dir=\"ltr\">\u092e\u094b\u0926\u0940 \u091c\u0940,<br>\u0906\u092a\u0928\u0947 \u0915\u0908 \u092c\u093e\u0930 \u092a\u0939\u0932\u0947 \u092d\u0940 \u092a\u0947\u092a\u0930 \u0932\u0940\u0915 \u0930\u094b\u0915\u0928\u0947 \u0915\u094b \u092c\u094b\u0932\u093e \u0939\u0948,<br>\u092a\u0930 \u0905\u092d\u0940 \u0924\u0915 \u0938\u092b\u0932\u0924\u093e \u0928\u0939\u0940\u0902 \u092a\u093e\u090f \u0939\u0948,<br>\u0939\u092e\u0947\u0936\u093e \u092a\u0947\u092a\u0930 \u0932\u0940\u0915 \u092e\u093e\u092b\u093f\u092f\u093e \u0928\u0947 \u092a\u0947\u092a\u0930 \u0932\u0940\u0915 \u0915\u0930\u0935\u093e\u0928\u0947 \u092e\u0947\u0902 \u0938\u092b\u0932\u0924\u093e \u092a\u093e\u0908 \u0939\u0948,<br>\u091c\u094b \u091b\u093e\u0924\u094d\u0930\u094b\u0902 \u0915\u0947 \u092d\u0935\u093f\u0937\u094d\u092f \u0915\u094b \u092c\u0939\u0941\u0924 \u0939\u0940 \u0915\u0937\u094d\u091f\u0926\u093e\u0908 \u092c\u0928\u093e\u092f\u093e \u0939\u0948,<br>\u0907\u0938 \u092c\u093e\u0930 \u0910\u0938\u093e \u0928\u093e \u0939\u094b \u0924\u094b \u0939\u0940 \u092c\u0947\u0939\u0924\u0930 \u0939\u094b\u0917\u093e\u0964 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/J5QtwBytdG\">pic.twitter.com\/J5QtwBytdG<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Cockroach Janta Party (@CJP_for_India) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/CJP_for_India\/status\/2081397346978722187?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 26, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The protest movement began in May after Chief Justice of India Surya Kant&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/legal-news\/cji-surya-kant-clarifies-cockroaches-remark-fake-degrees-row-10692979\/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">reportedly<\/a>&nbsp;compared unemployed young people to \u201ccockroaches.\u201d The protesters, led by political strategist Abhijeet Dipke, satirically reclaimed the slur as the symbol of a movement that has grown into a broader challenge to Modi\u2019s increasingly authoritarian rule, which has seen mounting repression of protest and dissent, including restrictions on journalists and activists, and the use of \u201clawfare\u201d to target critics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Last week, tens of thousands of youth-led protesters&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/news\/cockroach-janta-protest\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">marched<\/a>&nbsp;in New Delhi, where they were met and attacked by police batons and tear gas. Indian media reported thousands of injuries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The mood was markedly different following Pradhan\u2019s resignation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-x wp-block-embed-x\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Celebrations after the resignation of the education minister in India, \u201cCockroaches won, democracy won!\u201d says the Cockroach Janta Party. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/4YPCInDiI5\">pic.twitter.com\/4YPCInDiI5<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Ihtisham Ul Haq (@iihtishamm) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/iihtishamm\/status\/2080950652021141886?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 25, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cCockroaches won!\u201d many CJP members and supporters said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Others added, \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/tag\/democracy\">Democracy<\/a>&nbsp;Won!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis is democracy,\u201d&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/Cockroachisback\/status\/2080948916355575895\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">said<\/a>&nbsp;the CJP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cNow that the cockroaches have won their first battle, may they win many more,\u201d Tavleen Singh, a columnist for The Indian Express,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/tavleen_singh\/status\/2081210822953746757\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">wrote<\/a>&nbsp;on X. \u201cMay they become a real political party in the near future.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sonam Wangchuk, an environmentalist whose hunger strike was a focal point of the cockroach&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/tag\/protests\">protests<\/a>, was&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/national\/sonam-wangchuk-hospital-discharge\/article71270378.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">released<\/a>&nbsp;Sunday from a Gurugram hospital, where he had been recovering from his 26-day fast since Thursday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Emboldened by the CJP victory, members of the Communist Party of India (CPI)-affiliated All-India Youth Federation and All-India Students\u2019 Federation marched on the Chennai residence of Tamil Nadu Gov. Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar demanding the abolition of the NEET.\u00a0<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dtnext.in\/news\/chennai\/over-200-held-as-police-foil-anti-neet-siege-of-lok-bhavan-2\" target=\"_blank\">According to<\/a>\u00a0Indian media reports, police detained more than 200 of the demonstrators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>X post:  <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/CPI_National\/status\/2081377257101332615?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2081377257101332615%7Ctwgr%5E4635f32ed34e6b6271bfefbee133989fc0ed5f9a%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.commondreams.org%2Fnews%2Fcockroach-protest-victory\">https:\/\/x.com\/CPI_National\/status\/2081377257101332615?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2081377257101332615%7Ctwgr%5E4635f32ed34e6b6271bfefbee133989fc0ed5f9a%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.commondreams.org%2Fnews%2Fcockroach-protest-victory<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe struggle will intensify,\u201d said CPI.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cDon\u2019t mistake the beginning for the end,\u201d echoed CJP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Asked Sunday what\u2019s next for the cockroach movement, Dipke&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/CJP_for_India\/status\/2081442547554226242\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">told<\/a>&nbsp;an ANI reporter that \u201cwe will soon share the next strategy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis has just ended yesterday,\u201d he added, \u201cplease give us a little time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/author\/brett-wilkins\">Brett Wilkins<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Brett Wilkins is a staff writer for Common Dreams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/author\/brett-wilkins\">Full Bio &gt;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Cockroach Janta Party supporters wave Indian flags a day after the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, in Mumbai, on July 26, 2026.&nbsp; (Photo by Punit Paranjpe\/AFP via Getty Images) \u201cDon\u2019t mistake the beginning for the end,\u201d said the Cockroach Janta Party, which vowed to press for further reforms and&#8230; <a class=\"continue-reading-link\" href=\"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2026\/07\/27\/cockroaches-won-youth-led-protests-called-off-after-indias-education-minister-quits\/\"> Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr; <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1880],"tags":[420],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49419"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49419"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49419\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":49420,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49419\/revisions\/49420"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49419"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49419"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49419"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}