Since May this year, a group of young people in India has launched a social protest movement called the "Cockroach Movement". Recently, thousands of supporters of the "Cockroach Movement" gathered in the capital, New Delhi, demanding that Education Minister Pradhan resign.
According to Reuters reporting on July 22nd local time, this is the biggest public challenge faced by Indian Prime Minister Modi during his third term in office. The report also analyzed the causes and current situation of this protest activity.
"Cockroach Mob" Protestors by The Spokesman-Review
The direct trigger for this demonstration was the entrance examination for undergraduate medical programs in India, also known as the National Eligibility and Entrance Test (NEET).
On May 3rd, approximately 2 million students in India took this exam. However, the exam was canceled due to the leakage of test questions, and several students ended up committing suicide as a result. In June, make-up exams were held within India.
This examination is the only way to enter India’s national undergraduate medical programs. Every year, millions of candidates participate in it, competing for fewer than 150,000 spots, making it one of the most difficult entrance examinations in India.
This situation also reflects the broader pressures faced by India’s higher education system: the number of places is extremely limited, forcing millions of candidates to engage in intensive study for months or even years. The highly competitive entrance exams also exhaust many people, leaving them heavily burdened with debt.
The leakage of exam questions is quite common in India. In 2024, the questions for the NEET exams were also leaked in some areas, although no orders were issued to conduct re-exams at that time.
According to Reuters, in this South Asian country with a population of 1.4 billion, test questions from other exams have also been leaked, including those for the recruitment of police and teachers.
This year's exam question leakage incident coincided with the rise of a satirical political movement called the “Cockroach Janta Party”. This movement seems to have turned young people’s dissatisfaction into current protests.
Experts say that the organization, which was established in mid-May, accumulated millions of followers on Instagram within just a few days. It targeted the needs of people under 30 years old, who make up more than half of India’s population. This demographic includes those facing high youth unemployment rates and the recent exam question leaks.
Pradhan said that the government is committed to addressing the concerns of young people and has promised to reform the examination system. As the Prime Minister, Modi himself has vowed to punish those who leak exam questions.
Indian Health Minister Nadar met with protesters on July 20 and requested time for the government to discuss their demands. These demands include the release of hunger strikers who were sent to hospitals last week, as well as compensation of 10 million rupees (approximately 700,000 yuan) for each student who died due to exam questions being leaked.
On July 20th, tens of thousands of protesters attempted to march towards the Parliament Building, but they were dispersed with tear gas and police batons. Two days later, thousands of people remained at the sit-ins in New Delhi. The movement's leader stated that they would continue to stay there until their demands are met.
Even the opposition group led by the main opposition party, the Congress Party, has vowed to continue pushing their demands both inside and outside parliament. They believe this is a new opportunity to pressure Modi and his party regarding a issue that resonates widely and affects Modi’s young voter base.
