Hundreds of supporters of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), an online prank that has attracted millions of people across India, gathered for the first time today in a protest in the capital, New Delhi.
It will be the biggest test yet for that movement and its ability to transfer from the screen to the real world.
The protest in New Delhi marks the movement's first street demonstration after weeks of dominating social media and media headlines, attracting millions of online followers and garnering widespread support among India's youth.
The immediate cause of today's protest is reports of irregularities in a recent exam, which dominated headlines in India and angered a large student community.
Hundreds, mostly young Indians, gathered in the center of the protest zone in New Delhi, near parliament, some carrying posters and cockroach masks.
Abhijit Deepke, the founder of the online movement, joined the protest as soon as he arrived in the Indian capital from the US this morning. Police have erected steel barriers in the arrivals area of New Delhi International Airport.
Deepke took to social media to announce that the police had given permission to the Cockroach Party (CJP) to hold a protest, adding: "Cockroaches are gathering at Jantar Mantar."
Protest organizers called on supporters to attend today's rally via social media and demanded the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
The demand came after a controversy over exam irregularities in May, which quickly became a platform for expressing broader frustration with India's education system and limited job opportunities.
Supporters chanted slogans such as "cockroaches are coming, Dharmendra Pradhan is leaving," and one poster read "we are waiting for exams where data is not leaked."
Participants were invited to carry the Indian national flag and a book, as a symbol of the right to education and equal opportunities for all. Organizers also urged protesters to remain calm and avoid any confrontation with the police.
"It's time to turn this little joke into a revolution," the official CJP account on the X network announced yesterday.
Twenty-six-year-old protester Mansi Sehgal said the protests started over exam-related issues, but that the deeper problem was that people had no space to speak out or ask questions.
"CJP does that. So this is literally the first way that people can connect and ask questions," she said.
It is unclear how many people will ultimately join the protest, making the event an early test of whether the movement can channel its online popularity into broader support for growing frustration among young Indians about education, jobs and economic prospects.
Another major challenge would be how the party handles the resistance that earlier protest movements faced under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government.
Over the past decade, authorities have sought to suppress protests against his government, including demonstrations against a controversial citizenship law and a year-long farmers' protest.
Some protest movements have also faced legal action against organizers and arrests of activists, which critics say reflects broader efforts by the Modi government to stifle dissent.
The CJP emerged just three weeks ago and became an unexpected outlet for expressing dissent among its supporters who proudly call themselves “cockroaches.”
The insect attracted attention after controversial comments by Suri Kant, the Chief Justice of India.
He allegedly compared unemployed youth who turn to journalism and activism to cockroaches and parasites.
He later clarified that he was referring to "people with fake degrees," not Indian youth.
The comments were shared massively on social media, sparking outrage, jokes, and a humorous political rebellion called the Cockroach People's Party (CJP).
Dipke, a political communications strategist and Boston University student, used the insult as inspiration for a parody of political parties. Within weeks of launching the portal and social media accounts, the CJP Instagram page had amassed more than 22 million followers.
The party has turned the cockroach into an expression of perseverance and political articulation. Videos criticizing unemployment, corruption, and political dysfunction have attracted millions of views online.
India's youth make up more than a quarter of the population, but they face limited job opportunities, rising unemployment and growing disillusionment with traditional politics. Many young voters are also critical of Modi's ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party and growing economic pressures.
Those who are skeptical of the movement, especially supporters of Modi's party, dismiss the phenomenon as a social media gimmick and believe that online popularity will not translate into street mobilization, and that the movement's rapid rise is likely to be short-lived.
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