GEN-Z Revolution: The India Chapter

A chronology of the Cockroach Janata Party protest that rocked Modi’s reign

The events that transpired at Jantar Mantar over the last few weeks cannot be summed up by the term ‘demonstration’. The story began with one Instagram page. On 15 May 2026 the Chief Justice of India (CJI), Surya Kant referred to the unemployed youth as ‘cockroaches’ and ‘parasites’ in open court. Satire, in the form of social media accounts and other actions, was a response to the CJI’s remark and slowly but surely it transformed into a protest. Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) Instagram page amassed 20 million followers in a matter of weeks.

The online ire entered the streets on June 6, 2026 when thousands of students gathered at Jantar Mantar. On the heels of these crowds followed the people who would eventually sit in hunger strikes, the pots and pans to be distributed in langars, the people who slept on sheets on the footpaths of Jantar Mantar, and eventually the lathis that descended on the crowds.

This photo story takes us along on the journey of the CJP-led protest which demanded the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan along with broader reforms of the examination system.

Pitching the Tent

Any movement can perhaps trace its beginning to a particular moment or incident. For this particular one, it was the setting up of the protest stage at Jantar Mantar - it began with a few protestors, a banner, a mic and a stage. The handful of voices who assembled at Jantar Mantar to set up this stage have already entered the annals of history. Their main demand was the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan after the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) paper leak (the NEET is India’s mandatory national admissions exam for students pursuing undergraduate and postgraduate medical and dental degrees).

*Protestors lighting candles for students who committed suicide*

The galvanising force of this movement, however, was far greater than any slogan or speech from the stage. This image shows candles lit in memory of the students who took their lives, unable to survive the immense pressure caused by the NEET paper leak. The bowed heads and the flickering flames make it clear that this protest was never just about demanding a minister's resignation. It was an attempt to seek accountability for the names and faces that now live only in photographs and memories. In other words, it was a demand for those responsible to be held accountable. The outpouring of grief and anguish eventually converged in the hunger strike, the crowds, and the tussle that followed.

Test of Hunger

Sonam Wangchuk’s arrival on 28 Jun 2026 to Jantar Mantar and his decision to go on hunger strike went largely unnoticed. As his weight started dropping with each passing day, people began to worry. His haggard face, his eyes, and his physical frame showed signs of fatigue. The protestors embraced his wellbeing as one of their demands. These images circulated widely as symbols of the CJP-led protest in international headlines.

On 17th July, the Delhi police took him under their custody and admitted him to the Safdarjung Hospital. After this incident, while the protests picked up pace, Wangchuk ended his hunger strike on the night of 23rd July after a total of 26 days. At the written assurance of the government regarding fulfilling his three main demands, he ended his hunger strike in Gurugram’s Medanta Hospital, in the presence of Union Ministers J.P. Nadda and Jitendra Singh.

In Harmony

*Neha Bora, Amin Amitoj, and Manish Kumar in frame*

Neha Bora, Amin Amitoj, and Manish Kumar portray the same determination on their young faces as Wangchuk. Their hunger strike is a testament to the fact that this protest was not about an individual but is representative of this generation’s struggles and woes.

At Night: When the Roads Became the Resting Place

The fist-raising-slogan-shouting youth take respite on the footpath at night. Beneath the tarpaulin they lay down some sheets and are lulled to sleep by the gentle ripples of the posters hanging above. While daytime images of sloganeering showed no glimmer of exhaustion and discomfort, these became glimpses of some neglected, yet equally important, parts of the protest.

*Protestors on the footpath at Jantar Mantar*

The roads around Jantar Mantar became temporary homes. Some rested on the footpath, while others slept in the middle of the roads.

Doomsday

While it started out with only a handful of protestors, the movement led by CJP quickly transformed into a crowd of thousands. This photo was taken on 20th July when lakhs of protestors gathered to march towards the Parliament. An eagle soaring over the scene would have perhaps described it thus: “Lutyen’s Delhi was either covered with trees or brimming with young heads.” The swelling crowd in and around Jantar Mantar were evidence of the protest’s reach and support.

Police Violence

The most bitter moment of the protest arrived. The Delhi Police and the Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel charged on the students and youth who had, until then, adorned the hunger strike as their mode of protest. This picture leaves us with the following question, “When will the colonial mindsets of these khakhi-clad personnel change? In the colonial era we had General Dyer and in this 21st century democracy we have khakhi-uniform clad General kaayar (timid or coward).”

The Eruption of Rage on Both Sides

*Rahul Gandhi with the pellet gun victim*

The protestors have claimed that the Delhi police fired pellet guns to disperse the crowd. At least five victims have been identified including a journalist reporting for Outlook. This photograph depicts one victim’s torso and face pierced with pellets and provides proof against Delhi police’s denial of the use of pellet guns.

Slugs and Slurs

This was not the moment to challenge the gun with the pen. The stage is now occupied by the Gen Z generation of the 21stof 21st century. They faced the batons and bullets with Instagram reels and posters of profanity and curses. After the incidents of 20th July, about 80 percent of the posters directly attacked the regime. All their meanings converged at “The Emperor has no clothes.”

In the End

*Scenes of celebration after announcement of Pradhan’s resignations*

On 25th July, the long anticipated news finally arrived - Dharmendra Pradhan has sent his resignation letter to the Prime Minister. A wave of joy made its way through the crowd when the news of resignation reached Jantar Mantar, which, until then had been heavy with the fatigue of the hunger strike and weariness of the lathi charge. Faces scrunched up in anger were now smiling ear to ear. Tired bodies were rejoicing. The streets of Jantar Mantar, which until the previous day had been the battlefield, had finally transformed into a theatre of victory.

Mandeep Punia is a freelance journalist based in Haryana