Modi tries to contain protest fallout
India’s prime minister Narendra Modi addressed the protesters’ demands for the first time on Thursday, though he did not mention the Cockroach Janta Party or the unrest in Delhi directly.
The key demand of the protest movement since it began last month has been the resignation of education minister Dharmendra Pradhan, and accountability from the government for a debacle involving the cancellation of a major university entrance exam.
Modi said today he would set up fast-track courts to handle the alleged paper leaks that led to the exam being scrapped, vowing “strict punishment” for those involved.
Fast-track courts are special courts created to speed up cases in India’s notoriously slow justice system.
“Nothing is more important than the welfare and future of our youth!,” Modi wrote on X.Leaders of the Cockroach Janta Party, which launched the protest movement, said they would not end their demonstrations until the education minister resigned.
Staying true to the movement’s tongue-in-cheek style, its founder, Abhijeet Dipke, responded by posting a meme of Pradhan captioned: “Hi, my name is Nothing.”
Namita Singh23 July 2026 10:18
India protest movement holds capital sit-in as police crack down on demonstrators
Thousands of young protesters were camped on the streets of India’s capital New Delhi on Thursday, defying new restrictions in the latest show of strength for a movement that has become one of the biggest challenges to prime minister Narendra Modi’s government.
India’s “Cockroach” protests began more than a month ago over alleged leaks in some of the country’s most competitive entrance exams for medical colleges and government jobs.
The movement has since expanded beyond exam grievances, drawing professionals and families while channeling broader frustration.
Thursday’s demonstrations at Jantar Mantar, a designated protest site in New Delhi, followed overnight clashes in which police used tear gas and batons to disperse crowds, the second such confrontation this week.
On Monday, thousands of protesters had defied restrictions and marched toward Parliament before police broke up the demonstration with tear gas and batons.
Protesters regrouped by Thursday morning, returning to the protest site despite roadblocks, while authorities suspended Delhi Metro services at 16 stations across central New Delhi in an effort to limit access to the demonstrations.
Namita Singh23 July 2026 09:44
