Published Jun 15, 2026 | 11:40 AM ⚊ Updated Jun 15, 2026 | 12:56 PM
CJP Spokesperson Vijeta Dahiya and Activist Ruchit Kamal addressing the protesters. Credit: South First/Sreshta Ladegaam
Synopsis: Hundreds gathered at Hyderabad’s Dharna Chowk on 14 June under the Cockroach Janta Party banner, demanding Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation over exam paper leaks and irregularities. Students, parents, activists, and professionals voiced anger at rising costs, systemic failures, and government apathy. The protest reflected youth disillusionment, invoking Ambedkar, Bhagat Singh, and Telangana’s history of resistance.
The road outside Indira Park was busier than usual on Sunday, 14 June, with bustling street vendors on one side and a tent full of young Hyderabadis slowly growing in numbers on the other side of the road. There were posters and placards everywhere, some of them AI-generated, demanding the resignation of Union Minister of Education Dharmendra Pradhan.
The protest site, ‘Dharna Chowk’, is a place of historical significance that witnessed some of the largest public movements in the history of united Andhra Pradesh. A huge banner welcomed people as they approached the tent. “Their Children Study Abroad. Our Children Face Paper Leaks,” it read at the top.
The banner listed the names of various union ministers and details of their children’s overseas education, contrasting this with the issues plaguing Indian students, such as the NEET paper leak and CBSE irregularities. This set the overarching theme of the day, that is, young people’s discontentment towards the government’s hypocrisy and apathy.
Protesters displaying placards (Credit: Sreshta Ladegaam)
The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) started as a satirical online movement after widespread outcry against the Chief Justice of India, Surya Kant’s comments referring to the unemployed youth of the country as ‘cockroaches’. Abhijeet Dipke, a political science student at Boston University, started the digital movement calling on young people in the country to voice their dissent against massive unemployment and the CJI’s insensitive statement.
The NEET Paper Leak fiasco claimed the lives of 14 students, sending ripples across the nation. The CJP called for the resignation of MoE Dharmendra Pradhan. Later, the inconsistencies reported in other examinations, such as the CBSE Class 12 Board Examination, CUET, and some state exams, snowballed into outrage among students all over India. It is in this context that the CJP had called for peaceful protests in all major cities.
By 9:40 AM, a significant crowd gathered at Dharna Chowk. Slogans such as ‘Dharmendra Pradhan istifa do’ (‘Dharmendra Pradhan must resign’), ‘Aag lage basti mein, BJP masti mein’ (‘The settlement is on fire while BJP makes merry’), ‘Long Live Bhagat Singh’, and ‘Jai Bhim’ were heard. Folk artists sang and played dappu, performing protest music.
There were also slogans demanding resignations from other cabinet ministers like Nirmala Sitaraman, Nitin Gadkari, as well as the PM Modi.
Among the participants were the activists who were proactive in the ‘Save KBR’, ‘Save Kancha Gachibowli/HCU’, and ‘Save Musi’ protests. A strong police presence was maintained throughout the event, and the permission for the gathering was restricted to 12:30 PM.
Protesters at the Cockroach Janta Party Protest at Dharna Chowk (Credit: Sreshta Ladegaam)
CJP spokesperson Vijeta Dahiya arrived early and interacted with the protestors. An emotional parent expressed her frustration over the unregulated hikes in private school fees.
“As a parent and a tax-paying citizen, I deserve to be able to send my children to affordable schools with good facilities,” she shared. This was a recurring theme at the protest, with many sharing their grievances about the commercialisation of education.
Ryan, a business development manager from Hyderabad, told South First that he was shocked to see the school and coaching costs these days. “We pay Rs 80,000 to 1.5 lakh for my younger brothers’ school and competitive exam preparation. And what’s the point of all that if there are paper leaks and marking issues?” he said.
Meanwhile, Ryan’s 17-year-old brother, who is appearing for his JEE Advanced exam, shared that he is worried about how the exam will be conducted.
It was evident that the youth are disappointed with the lack of accountability in today’s governance. Many young protestors expressed shock at the fact that Dharmendra Pradhan has not resigned yet.
Also Read: ‘Cockroach Janta Party’ crawls out of CJI’s ‘parasitic youth’ remark, goes viral
“This is the lowest level of trust we ever had in the country,” said Ayesha Qamar, a 30-year-old teacher from Chandrayangutta. She said her heart breaks as “kids are dying. Parents are not able to sleep at night. They are taking everything away from students.” She trusts that change will come and that there is going to be a bigger movement. “Abhijit Dipke came all the way from US can’t I come out of my home?” asked Ayesha.
Adnan, a student from Masab Tank, told me that he came to the protest by telling his parents that he was going to meet a friend. “I don’t support left or right, I am here to demand the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan,” said Adnan.
Parshuram, a government recruitment exam aspirant from Kadapa, told us that he doesn’t understand why it was so hard for the current government to take accountability while we have seen the opposite with governments in the past.
“There were so many similar incidents recently, but this government doesn’t take any responsibility. Not taking responsibility has become a quality of this government. Why has there been no press conference from the PM in 12 years?” he questioned.
We noticed that people from all walks of life were present among the 400-odd protestors gathered at the meet. This is significantly lower than the attendance at the Delhi protest in Jantar Mantar. Nonetheless, the diverse mix of people all had many common frustrations they expressed to us.
Tharun, a farmer, conveyed his anger at the NEET re-exam. He said, “if it’s so easy to ask lakhs of kids to appear for a re-exam, then maybe we should go for a re-election because there are allegations of vote chori.” He also reminded that an online marking failure claimed the lives of Telangana students way back in 2019, and that the current CBSE fiasco should not have happened.
Sreeja, a 26-year-old artist from Hyderabad, was one of the volunteers at the protest. She said she had joined early for the event and chose to volunteer. She believes that the CJP is now a unified platform for issues affecting India’s youth. “It started as an internet meme, but I think it has on-the-ground credibility. I came because I want to be a part of it while it is shaped,” she said.
Educator and activist Sonam Wangchuk, Retd. Professor K Nageswar, senior journalist C Vanaja, Retd. IAS Akunuri Murali, activist Telangana Vittal, and journalist Thulasi Chandu were among the prominent attendees. They expressed solidarity with the CJP movement and hoped that more people would speak up against injustices happening in India.
A 19-year-old student who just finished his Class 12 Boards took the mic to share his joy of meeting Sonam Wangchuk. He also shared that he was there to protest the injustices happening in the country and wished that more people from his generation also came forward.
Sonam Wangchuk Arriving at Cockroach Janta Party Protest in Hyderabad
(Credit: Sreshta Ladegaam)
Also Read: Cockroach Janata Party founder to lead Delhi protest seeking Education Minister Pradhan’s removal
Many speakers invoked the Constitution and verbalised the need to save it from “those who are trying to destroy it.” Placards with pictures of Dr BR Ambedkar and Bhagat Singh, and copies of the constitution were a common sight. There were also call-backs to earlier movements from Telangana, with multiple tributes to the late Dalit student leader Rohith Vemula. Organisers and speakers conveyed their admiration for Telangana’s history of struggles against injustice.
Professor Nageswar speaking at the Cockroach Janta Party Protest in Hyderabad. Credit: Sreshta Ladegaam
People’s anger and frustration were not just limited to the NDA government at Centre. Several protestors were quick to point out irregularities plaguing Telangana government recruitment exams. When Akunuri Murali, who is now affiliated with the state Education Commission, spoke out in support of CJP, many protestors demanded that Vijeta Dahiya question Murali about TGPSC recruitment and other issues faced by students in Telangana.
Also in attendance were corporate employees and government servants who mostly chose to remain anonymous.
A government officer, with his full face covered up in a mask, sunglasses and a hat, told us that he was there because “it’s already high time such protests happened.” He said that his identity was not important and that he was there to represent the people. He greeted us with “Jai Shri Ram” and went on to allege that people in power are inciting hatred based on caste and religious divides.
“I support CJP’s efforts. I will support any party that talks about the real issues of the citizens of this nation. I feel bad for the kids because they are deprived of the privileges we are enjoying. I think it is the bare minimum that education and healthcare should be free in this country,” he said.
An IT employee who chose to be anonymous shared that ‘uneducated and uninformed’ people are running the country and was appalled by the unprecedented levels of inconsistencies in national-level examinations.
Meanwhile, Dahiya received major flak online when he shared at the Delhi protest that the reason many women were not coming forward to speak up was that they were conditioned to only care about make-up and fashion. But the CJP protest in Hyderabad was a striking contradiction to this sentiment.
On the other hand, protesters also raised slogans against Godi media (a term used for mainstream news channels known for their pro-BJP reportage). This was a consistent sentiment throughout the event as journalists from Times Now were booed and told to back off – a testament to youth’s mistrust in the fourth pillar of democracy.
Also Read: Cockroach Janata Party protest in Hyderabad seeks Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation
Many young women actively participated and also volunteered in organising activities. However, they were apprehensive about being recorded, talking to the press, or sharing their personal details, some citing online hatred and trolling as the reason. It was a valid concern as targeted social media abuse has now become a political strategy for several parties.
Sharon, a 28-year-old corporate employee working in marketing, told me that she was there to protest the government’s failure to ensure skill-based education for students. “We are already falling behind in AI. We are also not providing the tools students need for the changing job market. While the world is moving at an unparalleled pace, Indian students are being blindsided,” she said. She also expressed concern about how the entryway to an important profession such as medicine is being diluted with paper leaks and scams.
Manasa, a young doctor, was saddened by the demise of 14 students due to the paper leak. The 26-year-old said, “The future is at stake,” and demanded the resignation of Pradhan. “If the education is proper, then only the future will be bright,” she added. She was also apprehensive about NEET PG, which she is preparing to appear for.
A significant number of older citizens also attended the protest and shared that they were happy to see young people owning their voice and speaking up.
Journalist C Vanaja said, “Whenever a change is needed in the world, it is only possible because of the youth.” She said that the Indian youth have been a bit late in speaking out when compared to their counterparts from the rest of the world. She believes that this is the beginning of a change and hopes that it will be sustained.
Saraswati Kavula, a documentary filmmaker and environmental activist, articulated her excitement for the protests. “This is happening after a very, very long time. As activists, we have been trying to mobilise people, but I’m happy that the students are finally voicing their resistance even if it is concerning their own issues.”
CJP has been facing allegations of being funded by vested interests. Dahiya rejected the accusation and said that the people are their funding. Many protestors also told us that it didn’t matter to them. They shared that they do not care about who is talking about the issue, they were just glad that their complaints had finally found a platform. This does not mean that everyone at the protest was fully on board with the CJP.
Sai, an employee working for a private company in Secunderabad, said that he supports the movement but was also apprehensive about its direction in the future. The 28-year-old said he was unsure of CJP’s ideology and drew parallels with the India Against Corruption movement. “I am fully in favour of the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan, but this aim feels a bit short-sighted. I think there should be a long-term plan because there are various issues the people of the nation are facing, and many are placing their trust in these protests.”
The CJP protest at Dharna Chowk was a vivid reflection of a generation pushed to its limits. People were united in their shared exhaustion at a system that has failed the citizens of this country. The anger on display felt urgent and deeply personal.
While questions linger about the big-picture strategy, what emerged clearly from the streets of Hyderabad was that the CJP has struck a nerve beyond the internet. The youth in India, several of whom are dissenting for the first time, finally seem to be finding their voice.
(Edited by Amit Vasudev)
