India's 'Cockroach Janata Party' holds first protest in Delhi

Hundreds of supporters of the Cockroach Janata Party, an online movement that drew millions across India, gathered for their first real-world protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on Saturday, June 6.

The movement emerged three weeks ago after India's Chief Justice Surya Kant likened critics and unemployed youth to cockroaches during a court hearing. Abhijeet Dipke, a political communications strategist, turned the insult into a parody political party that has since amassed over 15 million Instagram followers.

Protesters, mostly young Indians, demanded the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over exam irregularities, chanting: "Cockroaches are coming, Dharmendra Pradhan is going!"

"Time to turn this tiny joke into a revolution," the official CJP account posted on X.

The movement has turned the cockroach into a badge of political protest, with videos and memes lampooning unemployment, corruption and political dysfunction drawing millions of views online.