NEW DELHI, Jun 6: Hundreds of young students gathered in New Delhi on Saturday for the first street protest organised by the satirical "Cockroach People's Party" (CJP), demanding accountability over alleged irregularities in major examinations that have fuelled growing frustration among India's youth.
Police tightened security around the JantarMantar protest site and the city's airport ahead of the demonstration, deploying riot control vehicles, detention vans and steel barricades at key points.
Protesters, some wearing paper cockroach masks, called for the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over a series of controversies involving examination paper leaks and technical glitches.
"We want accountability from the government," 16-year-old Utkarsh Raj, who hopes to pursue a medical career, told AFP. "How is it that exam papers get leaked in this country? How is this right?"
The rally was led by AbhijeetDipke, founder of the parody "Cockroach Janta Party" - a play on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) - which has amassed millions of followers on social media since its launch last month.
"This protest is for the future of this country. This protest is for jobs," Dipke told supporters. "The youth of the country... will fight."
The 30-year-old Boston University graduate and former political communications strategist for the opposition AamAadmi Party arrived in the capital from the United States on Saturday morning after earlier announcing plans for a peaceful demonstration.
"We have to lead this movement with love and peace," Dipke wrote on social media ahead of the protest.
The movement emerged after India's Chief Justice Surya Kant reportedly likened young people critical of the government to "cockroaches" and "parasites" during a court hearing, remarks that triggered outrage among many students. Kant later said his comments had been taken out of context.
CJP has built its popularity around the slogan "a political front for the youth, by the youth, for the youth", tapping into widespread frustration over employment prospects and educational opportunities.
Despite rapid economic growth, millions of Indians continue to struggle to find stable and well-paying jobs.
Last month, authorities scrapped a nationwide medical college entrance examination after investigators uncovered a question paper leak. The controversy followed criticism of an online marking system used for examinations taken by nearly two million high school students.
"India deserves better administration of such crucial exams," said 20-year-old protester Sarthak, who gave only one name. �"AFP
