India's 'cockroach' movement supporters caned by police

Supporters of India's youth-led "cockroach" movement have been caned by police as they sought to march on the nation's parliament, despite authorities denying permission for the protest.Thousands of protesters gathered in New Delhi on Monday to march ‌and demand the resignation of the country's education minister as part of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) movement.Protesters ran for cover as police in blue riot gear charged at them near the Jantar Mantar protest site, an AFP journalist reported.The two-month-old CJP movement and the planned protest is seen as the biggest public challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his third term in office, garnering millions of supporters on social media and mobilising support on the ground as well.The movement has been galvanised since police forcibly moved hunger-striking activist Sonam Wangchuk to hospital on Saturday, with thousands of supporters arriving at the protest site through the night for a march on the opening day of parliament's monsoon ⁠session.Scores of police and paramilitary security personnel were deployed at the heavily-barricaded site, threatening a stand-off a few kilometres from parliament if the protesters sought to go ahead with their march."Quit, quit," the protesters chanted.People move barricades from a protest site ahead of Monday's march by supporters of India's Cockroach Janta Party. (Reuters: Anushree Fadnavis)"Dharmendra Pradhan quit", "Narendra Modi quit" they chanted in Hindi, referring to the education minister as well as the prime minister.Two members of the CJP were on their way to meet a senior minister in the prime minister's cabinet, chief party spokesperson Saurav Das said in a post on X on Monday."The government had reached out for talks in the morning. Our demands are clear. The youth has gathered in huge numbers," Mr Das said.The movement began after national medical school entrance test papers were leaked in May, affecting more than 2 million students as it forced them to sit the test a second time."All these leaders in power are illiterate and I am here to protest because we do not want question papers to leak," said Adi Nathan, a 21-year-old student from Meerut city.Mohammed Tabrez, a 22-year-old student preparing for competitive examinations that allow student admissions into professional courses or jobs, said he had come from Amroha in Uttar Pradesh."We want this corruption to end," he said."We want all the fraud in paper leaks, in competitive examinations, to end, and this is the reason I have come here."Activist sets terms to end his fastThe CJP initially drew support largely online, amassing 22 million followers on Instagram within days before broadening its appeal and drawing the support of some opposition parties.CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke and his supporters began a sit-in last month seeking the resignation of Mr Pradhan.Supporters of the CJP chant slogans and wave their mobile phones with their flashlights. (Reuters: Anushree Fadnavis )On June 28 they were joined by Mr Wangchuk, ⁠who launched an indefinite hunger strike at the site.In a handwritten note from hospital posted on his X account on Monday, Mr Wangchuk said he would end his fast if the government takes accountability for the paper leaks and recent failures in the education system, or if CJP protesters are allowed to reach parliament and lawmakers assure them that ⁠the issues would be taken up in the chambers.He said he would also end the fast if lawmakers and leaders of various parties meet him in hospital and give him the same assurances since his health does not allow him to march on parliament.The rise of the CJP reflects frustration among young ⁠Indians over issues like high youth unemployment and frequent examination paper leaks, analysts say.Reuters/AFP