Is India next up in global Gen Z protests? Its 鈥楥ockroach鈥� movement hits the streets.
| New Delhi
Anulikha Dhawan and several friends slipped out of their dorm rooms in Punjab late last Friday, careful not to tip off any parents that they were leaving. Their families, worried about their safety, might have tried to stop them from making the overnight journey to Delhi. And Ms. Dhawan felt she had to go.
The 19-year-old undergraduate student was driven to Jantar Mantar, a historic observatory and famous protest site in central Delhi, by frustrations shared by young people across India: repeated examination scandals, a shortage of jobs, and a growing sense that politicians are not listening.
On Saturday, she stood among hundreds of protesters, some wearing cockroach masks and waving placards demanding accountability from the government. The gathering marked the first major street demonstration by the Cockroach Janta Party, or CJP, a movement that takes its name from a disparaging comment made by the country鈥檚 top judge in May about young, unemployed Indians. It has attracted millions of followers online and is now attempting to translate that popularity into real-life political action.
Why We Wrote This
A recent wave of global Gen Z protests has shown it鈥檚 possible to translate online outrage into real-world change. Now, the Cockroach Janta Party 鈥� a popular social media page that tapped into a deep reservoir of frustration among young Indians 鈥� is trying to bring its followers into the streets.
Indeed, some have wondered whether India is next up in a wave of Gen Z protests that have led to concrete change 鈥� and even toppled governments 鈥� elsewhere in the world.
鈥淭here was a suppressed angst and frustration in the youth of India who are feeling cheated at every stage,鈥� says Apoorvanand, an expert in Indian political movements and professor of Hindi at the University of Delhi, who, like many in India, uses a single name. 鈥淭he movement tapped into that.鈥�
The crowds in Delhi and at a second protest in Pune in western India on Thursday were relatively modest, compared with the movement鈥檚 online following. But with more demonstrations being planned, many Indians are watching to see what the 鈥渃ockroaches鈥� can achieve once they find their footing.
鈥淪o far, we have seen an idea emerge,鈥� says Apoorvanand. 鈥淲e have to see whether youth are ready to invest their time and energy.鈥�
Why young Indians are calling themselves 鈥渃ockroaches鈥�
The protests come at a moment of growing anxiety among India鈥檚 young people. Despite the country鈥檚 rapid economic growth, unemployment among people ages 15 to 29 remains around 15%, roughly three times the national rate. Competition for secure government jobs has become increasingly intense: Parliamentary data shows that, between 2014 and 2022, more than 220 million applications were submitted for central government positions, while fewer than 750,000 candidates were ultimately recommended for appointment.
During a Supreme Court hearing in May, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant compared unemployed young people to 鈥渃ockroaches鈥� and 鈥減arasites,鈥� sparking immediate backlash. CJP founder and recent Boston University graduate Abhijeet Dipke was living an ordinary life in the United States, hunting for jobs in public relations, when he heard the comments.
鈥淲hat if all cockroaches came together?鈥� he wrote on X.
Chief Justice Kant later said his remarks had been misunderstood and were directed at people using fake qualifications to enter professions such as law and journalism, not unemployed youths broadly. Nevertheless, Mr. Dipke鈥檚 question struck a nerve.
As his X post gained traction, and online buzz around the 鈥渃ockroach鈥� label intensified, Mr. Dipke launched the Cockroach Janta Party 鈥� 鈥渏anta鈥� meaning 鈥渢he people鈥� in Hindi 鈥� complete with a website, social media accounts, and a tongue-in-cheek slogan: 鈥淰oice of the Lazy and Unemployed.鈥�
The name was an obvious play on Prime Minister Narendra Modi鈥檚 Bharatiya Janata Party, or BJP. But beneath the humor was a serious message. For many young Indians struggling to find stable jobs after years of studying for competitive exams, it felt like recognition. Within weeks, the movement鈥檚 Instagram account attracted more than 22 million followers, surpassing those of both the BJP and the opposition Congress party.
鈥淚 was surprised by the support,鈥� says Mr. Dipke, who returned to India last weekend to take the campaign to the streets. 鈥淚t was eye-opening.鈥�
Ms. Dhawan cheered along as Mr. Dipke took aim at India鈥檚 education system on Saturday at the CJP鈥檚 inaugural rally. Microphone in hand, standing under a blazing sun, he demanded the education minister鈥檚 resignation and called for accountability for repeated university exam scandals, which have become a potent symbol of broader anxieties about education, fairness, and opportunity in India.
Just last month, authorities canceled the highly competitive national medical entrance examination 鈥� which is taken by more than 2 million students annually, including Ms. Dhawan last year 鈥� after test questions were allegedly leaked.
鈥淭he whole process has become a nightmare for students,鈥� says Ms. Dhawan, who has also watched her highly educated siblings struggle to find jobs after graduating. 鈥淥ur education system is failing us.鈥�
Mr. Dipke says the CJP鈥檚 small core team is busy planning future protests and crafting a formal proposal for fixing India鈥檚 education system 鈥� an issue many feel India鈥檚 politicians have neglected.
鈥淧eople are not going to get jobs out of Hindu-Muslim politics,鈥� he says, referring to the communal divisions Mr. Modi鈥檚 Hindu nationalist government has been accused of exploiting. 鈥淓xams will not be fixed by that. The government鈥檚 priorities have to change.鈥�
Is this the beginnings of a youth revolt?
The emergence of the CJP has prompted comparisons with youth-led movements elsewhere in South Asia.
In neighboring Bangladesh and Nepal, for example, frustrations over jobs and corruption fueled protests, which initially took shape online before spilling into the streets. In both cases, protesters challenged the political establishment and contributed to major leadership changes in 2024 and 2025, respectively 鈥� but the upheaval came at a cost. In Bangladesh, hundreds were killed during months of antigovernment protests that eventually forced Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to flee the country, while in Nepal, demonstrators stormed and in some cases burned key government buildings.
Mr. Dipke rejects those parallels, arguing that the CJP movement is committed to peaceful, constitutional protest.
鈥淲e have demonstrated that we will be peaceful,鈥� he said during a news conference on Monday. 鈥淚n the future, there will be even bigger demonstrations, and they will be peaceful.鈥�
Thursday鈥檚 demonstration in Pune reportedly drew hundreds of people. Another protest is scheduled for Friday in Lucknow in northern India.
For Apoorvanand, however, the important question is not whether the CJP resembles other youth-led movements, but whether it can unite a generation that remains deeply fragmented by dynamics of class, caste, and religion.
Student protests over jobs, recruitment exams, and educational policy have erupted across India in recent years, he notes. What has often been missing is a common platform capable of stitching those grievances together. That鈥檚 where the CJP could really make a difference.
鈥淭he frustration is building up,鈥� he says. 鈥淏ut we are yet to see the breaking point.鈥�
After this week鈥檚 protests, Ms. Dhawan is feeling optimistic.
鈥淚t feels like we are finally getting somewhere in an atmosphere where critical voices are increasingly ... labeled as disruptors or anti-nationals,鈥� she says. 鈥淭his new movement has the potential to bring us together and put pressure on the system.鈥�
If the CJP can continue to grow its coalition 鈥� and if its followers embrace a stubbornly resilient 鈥渃ockroach鈥� mentality 鈥� this once satirical endeavor might succeed in achieving real, political change.
