India 'cockroach' group says will not march again because police will 'hurt youth'
India's youth-led "Cockroach" movement said on Tuesday it would continue its anti-government protests but would not organise another march on parliament, a day after scores of supporters were injured in clashes with police who attempted to stop the demonstration.
Delhi Police said nearly 180 people were injured during Monday's violence in central Delhi, including 118 police and security personnel and 60 protesters.
However, the founder of the self-styled Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) said more than 150 protesters were receiving treatment in hospital.
Reuters could not independently verify the casualty figures. During the clashes, police used batons and fired tear gas to disperse demonstrators attempting to march towards parliament.
Thousands of protesters from Delhi and neighbouring towns and cities had gathered for the march, joining a movement that began as an online satire but has since emerged as the biggest challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his third term.
The months-old CJP campaign has attracted millions of young Indians, particularly from Generation Z, demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over examination paper leaks that affected more than two million students in May.
The movement says the leak of a national medical entrance examination paper — which forced students to retake the test and reportedly drove some to take their own lives — exposed deep-rooted corruption in the country's education system.
Police said 70 protesters had been detained and that legal proceedings would be initiated against them.
Around 500 demonstrators gathered at Delhi's Jantar Mantar protest site on Tuesday, chanting slogans despite light rain. Security remained tight, with paramilitary personnel deployed across parts of the capital and barricades slowing traffic.
Leader apologises
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said the group was abandoning plans for further marches to parliament to avoid more injuries, apologising to supporters — particularly women — whom he said had been assaulted by male police officers.
"We will not march again because the police will hurt the youth again," Dipke told a press conference.
Delhi Police said protesters had displayed "unruly, aggressive and violent behaviour" and had "deliberately violated the prohibitory orders in force", despite repeated warnings.
The movement gained momentum after activist Sonam Wangchuk joined the campaign with a hunger strike on 28 June. Authorities forcibly moved him to hospital on Saturday.
"They beat us black and blue and destroyed our protest site," protester Sahil Singh from Uttar Pradesh told Reuters. "We want accountability, starting with Pradhan's resignation."
The CJP said Health Minister J.P. Nadda had sought time to discuss the group's demands with the government following a meeting with two of its leaders on Monday.