FREMONT, Calif. — Standing below the Unity Sculpture in Fremont’s Central Park, more than 100 Indian Americans gathered July 25 to celebrate a major victory by India’s student-led Cockroach Janata Party (CJP): the resignation of India’s Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
Pradhan announced his resignation hours earlier following 5 weeks of Gen Z-led protests across India.
“Today, the people of India won a small victory, but an opening for a fundamental change in the policies of the country,” said Sharat Lin, co-founder of South Asians for Collective Action,” one of the groups that organized the rally in Fremont. “We are here showing our solidarity with the youth of India who understand the oppression caused by the ruling party, the BJP.”
Fremont is home to one of the largest communities of Indian Americans in the US. Similar rallies — organized by Hindus for Human Rights — were held July 25 in Irving and Austin, Texas; Washington, DC; London, and Melbourne, Australia.
“These students have been absolutely amazing,” Siddhartha Shome, of Hindus for Human Rights, told American Community Media on the sidelines of the Fremont rally. Referring to the student protestors in India, he added, “They have shown that they are determined, organized, united, and not willing to give up easily. They are not willing to run away.”
Birth of the CJP
The CJP movement was founded by Boston University student Abhijeet Dipke, after India’s Chief Justice Surya Kant May 16 called India’s unemployed youth “cockroaches” and “parasites.”
Dipke — who comes from India’s Dalit community, a long-oppressed group formerly known as “untouchables” in India’s traditional caste system — began his movement with social media posts satirizing Kant’s remarks. “What if all cockroaches came together,” he queried on Instagram. His posts went viral in India, sparking the evolution of the CJP.
Protests erupted across the country and culminated in a weeklong rally at the Jantar Mantar, New Delhi’s iconic site of resistance. Pradhan’s resignation was among the protestors’ top demands.
Engineer, educator, and activist Sonam Wangchuk ended his 26-day hunger strike in the wake of Pradhan’s resignation.
Social media movement
The CJP movement grew over the issue of leaked medical exam papers, known as NEET. The leaked exams were sold off to wealthy buyers to better prepare for the highly competitive exam. Over 2 million students each year compete for just 130,000 open slots in India’s medical colleges.
According to Shome, buyers paid millions of dollars for a copy of the leaked exams. The Indian government, he alleged, knew about the leak but did nothing. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced July 25 that a thorough investigation into the leak would be among his top priorities.
‘We have done it’
The CJP claimed that Dipke — who flew from Boston to Delhi to help lead the protests — had been jailed as the protests began at the Jantar Mantar. Delhi police, however, refuted the claim, saying the social activist had never been detained.
“We have done it,” said Dipke from the Jantar Mantar, as word of Pradhan’s resignation spread.
“The resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan is a major victory,” said Ganesh Balamitran, one of the organizers of the Fremont protest. “The government has buckled down.” Participants at the rally passed around pedda — Indian sweets — to celebrate Pradhan’s resignation.
Abolish medical school exams
“The youth of India have shown us the possibilities of grassroots democracy,” said Balamitran. He criticized the NEET exams and called for their abolishment. “NEET is not representative of the talent of India’s youth, especially its rural communities. It further centralizes privilege,” he said.
Balmitran and other speakers called for a full investigation on alleged Delhi police violence against protesting students. The rally participants chanted “Shame on Delhi police,” as a dhol drum played in the background. Other speakers noted that police violence has become normalized. “This is not the 1st time this has happened,” noted one speaker, recalling the 2021 farmer protests in Delhi.
Abolish medical school exams
”The youth of India have shown us the possibilities of grassroots democracy,” said Balamitran. He criticized the NEET exams and called for their abolishment. “NEET is not representative of the talent of India’s youth, especially its rural communities. It further centralizes privilege,” he said.
Balmitran and other speakers called for a full investigation on alleged Delhi police violence against protesting students. The rally participants chanted “Shame on Delhi police,” as a dhol drum played in the background. Other speakers noted that police violence has become normalized. “This is not the 1st time this has happened,” noted one speaker, recalling the 2021 farmer protests in Delhi.
‘Modi must go’
“They are trying to expel India’s minorities,” said Lin, pointing to BJP policies critics say discriminate against Muslims and other non-Hindu communities. “We have won today, but there is a long struggle ahead.”
Participants at the rally chanted: “Modi must go,” “Inquilab Zindabad,” — long live the revolution — and “NEET is legal discrimination.”
They also chanted the names of 21 students who died by suicide because of the intense pressure of the NEET exams, and the uncertainty of competing against students who were coached or had access to the leaked exam papers.
At a July 25 news conference in Delhi, government ministers sat next to CJP leaders where they agreed to compensate “whatever maximum possible” families of those affected by the deaths. CJP organizers are demanding about 10 million rupees, or $105,000 for each of the 20 families affected.
Government officials also appeared to cede to demands by the CJP not pursue legal action against protest organizers or participants and to withdraw any active cases against them.
Al Jazeera reports arrests have been made in connection with the protests in several Indian states, however, with most of those arrested coming from India’s Muslim minority population.
Next steps for CJP
Pradhan’s resignation is being seen as a blow to Modi’s BJP-led government which remains the dominant political party across the country. CJP leaders told Al Jazeera they are currently regrouping to consider next steps. “We’re going to be broader in our agenda,” said a spokesperson for the group.
Similar Gen-Z led protests erupted in Bangladesh in 2024 and in Nepal last year where protestors denounced rampant corruption and a government attempt to ban social media. The protests in Nepal led to the ousting of that country’s prime minister.
Those gathered in Fremont Saturday echoed CJP leaders in India, signaling a desire to build on the protest’s current momentum.
“One day, all of India’s children will attain an excellent education,” chanted the rally participants.
