Indian Youth Rise Against Modi Government as CJP Protesters Demand Prime Minister’s Resignation

A student-led protest movement in India has escalated sharply, with the Cockroach Junta Party (CJP) now demanding Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s resignation after police used tear gas and baton charges to block a student march toward parliament. According to British broadcast reporting, the demonstration draws together students, parents, and political and social activists pressing for reforms to India’s education system.

The protest intensified following the forced hospitalization of social activist and educator Sonam Wangchuk, an incident that prompted students to announce their demonstration according to the broadcaster’s reporting. Despite what organizers describe as a peaceful march, the police response escalated the confrontation, after which CJP added Modi’s resignation to its list of demands alongside its original call for the education minister to step down.

CJP founder Abhijit Dipke accused police-uniformed individuals linked to the RSS of forcibly detaining Wangchuk, calling it a cowardly act, and said the movement now holds Modi responsible alongside the education minister following what he characterized as the government’s condemnable handling of the situation. These are Dipke’s characterizations of events and the individuals involved; they reflect the movement’s own account and framing rather than independently established facts, and the government has not been quoted responding to these specific allegations in this reporting.

The underlying grievance driving the movement traces back to a medical entrance exam paper leak scandal that has affected an estimated 2.28 million students, according to the broadcaster’s reporting, which also noted more than 20 student suicides linked to the fallout. That scale of impact — both in terms of affected test-takers and the reported suicides — has given the protest movement a depth of grassroots grievance beyond typical campus activism, tapping into broader anxiety among Indian families about the fairness and integrity of the country’s high-stakes exam system, which determines access to medical education for hundreds of thousands of aspirants each year.

The reporting characterizes India’s education system failures, the paper leak scandal, and student suicides as having put the Modi government under scrutiny — a framing reflecting the protest movement’s and critical media’s assessment rather than a neutral, settled judgment; the government has not been quoted with its own response to these specific characterizations in the available reporting.

Whether this movement, which started online as the Cockroach Party, sustains enough momentum to force any policy response — on exam integrity, Wangchuk’s treatment, or broader political demands — will likely depend on how the government responds to the resignation calls and whether opposition parties continue rallying around the protest’s grievances in the coming weeks.

This report touches on student suicide as a documented factual matter. If you or someone you know is struggling, reaching out to a mental health professional or a crisis helpline can help.